The Wolves at Our Heels
by Acrylic Stain
Summary: Years have passed since the Green Flu epidemic. The military has been training Infected for years with much success, but a weak Witchy link with an Immune lover must now find answers and survive the wrath of a madman and his personal army. READ @ OWN RISK
1. Chapter 1

***fanfare and cheering as the Emcee enters into the ring* WE HAVE A CHANGE IN THE LINEUP! *crowd murmurs* PRESENTING INKI VEINS AND JALOS! *crowd goes wild***

**n_n happy face. Hello, all you happy people! Guess who! So, I know, I've been MIA for months now and I know a lot of you have been waiting for updates to Prey Ploy (And I'm Working On It!), but this is something new (and good, I hope *fingers crossed*): a co-op work with my new partner-in-crime, Jalos! Take it away!**

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><p><strong>Greetings and salutations, everyone! If you read my stories, you may notice that there has been something of a lack of updates recently. The reason is due to my brain being overtaxed by college, being trod upon by writer's block, and using all of its energy to write this story. So, I'm really sorry, but it doesn't look very good for my other stories, at least for the time being.<strong>

**Aaanyway. My 'partner-in-crime' as she so eloquently put it has been a big help, and by that I mean she's gotten me off my sorry ass and gotten me writing. I'm very happy with this story and excited with where it's going, and I hope you all had as much fun reading it as we did writing it!**

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoy. n_n Now, don't forget to visit both of our pages after you read!<strong>

**Now for the boring stuff. *crowd disperses to concession stands* HEY! TAKE YOUR SEATS! *crowd unwillingly returns to their seats***

**DISCLAIMER: Neither Jalos nor I own any single part of the L4D series. We own any cities that were not mentioned in game play, our Immunes and Infected (not in concept), and the actions of said characters. I myself claim the Huntress concept to be mentioned later and any factoids that do not necessarily pertain to game play. You'll understand my gibberish later, pinki Inki promise.**

**WARNING: This is rated M for Mature content, to include violence, language, and sexually explicit content. Those of you under the age of 18 who chose to read this should note that we did warn you. If any of you believe you may become offended by the content, please leave now via one of two buttons near the top of your screen. Have a nice day. Those of you willing to stay, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!**

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><p>The crowd murmured with awe at the indescribably volatile vixens before them. Three toned, smart, and killer beauties that no one would ever have believed could have been successfully trained to serve the military. The Master General of the base in Tartown, Pennsylvania rose from his seat at the front of the room and cleared his throat. Silence filled the air.<p>

"Ladies," he stated in a demanding voice, "recite your current statistics."

The first Witch, who had blue hair that fell around her face like a veil, stepped forward. Her skirt swayed slightly with the movement, but fell back at attention. "Number 1649-5. Alias: Jenevive. Combat training: 98. Stealth: 95. Strike force: 98. Hunting: 97. Total Training Average: 97." With those words, she stepped back into line with her comrades.

The second, whose hair was a fiery red in a ponytail, stepped to the front to follow suit. "Number 1653-5. Alias: Stephany. Combat training: 96. Stealth: 99. Strike force: 98. Hunting: 99. Total Training Average: 98." Back into line she went, her skirt barely stirring.

Finally, the last Witch stepped forward. Her plaid skirt caught the voyeuristic eyes of the males in the audience, but almost everyone became captivated by her sharp emerald eyes. Her black hair made her orbs stand out even more. She spoke in a voice that demanded attention and order from her listeners. "Number 1641-5. Alias: Raven. Combat training: 100. Stealth: 100. Strike force: 100. Hunting: 100. Total Training Average: 100."

An uproar began as the visiting military personnel laid their eyes on this absolutely perfect specimen. She scanned the faces discretely, taking note of how many of the people had chosen to keep their weapons handy. She inwardly scoffed at the insolence; if she wanted to kill them, she could very well do so, without much more than a paper cut on her person.

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><p>"Good fucking call, Garrett." The short sentence was spat as if it tasted foul, and the utterer chased it down with a swig from the whiskey bottle dangling from his thick fingers. Sitting on the hood of a military Humvee, one booted foot pulled up onto the vehicle and the other dangling off the side, he leaned back against the Humvee's windshield with a sigh, making sure to keep one hand loose around the grip of the shotgun resting in his lap.<p>

The man was huge, standing an inch shy of six and a half feet and weighing what must of been more than two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, all of it muscle and most of it in his upper half. The wan moonlight played across his hard, chiseled features, his thick lips set into a disgruntled frown, his dark, angular eyebrows drawn down over his flinty eyes. Tipping the whiskey back and draining it, he tossed the bottle halfheartedly over his shoulder, listening to it shatter when it hit the pavement.

"Fucked up again, haven't you, big boy?" Garrett Everett muttered to himself, staring up at the star-threaded heavens. At least there was one good thing about the infection - ever since the power had gone out, you could always see the stars a lot more clearly.

Suddenly, the big man was broken from his reverie by a snarl from the alleyway to his left. The sound bounced and echoed off the brick walls of the confined space, and Garrett rolled off the vehicle on instinct, landing heavily on the opposite side of the Humvee from the alley, shotgun up and at the ready. Fighting for his life for the past couple of weeks had honed him to a razor's edge, and he already had one hand on the slide and a finger on the trigger before his conscious mind had processed what was going on.

The growl sounded again, closer this time, and Garrett took a risk. He stood up from behind his cover, gun up and tracking, as the Hunter leapt. The bestial Infected sailed through the air like some sort of demented circus performer launching from his trapeze, and Garrett squeezed the trigger.

There was an explosion of sound and fire, the night torn apart by a strident flash of a thunderous roar as the shotgun discharged. The Hunter flew face-first into the spray of buckshot, and Garrett sidestepped as the limp, mangled form hit the pavement with a wet smack that made the big man's gut turn. "Yeah," he sighed, racking the slide on his shotgun and watching pensively as the spent shell popped out. "Come on home. Yeah, it's the epicenter of the infection, but so what?" He barked a short, humorless laugh, and added "Good fucking call indeed. Just like all your other ones."

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><p>The Master General raised his hand, ceasing the uproar. He cleared his throat once again. "These three fine ladies are the result of a few months' worth of perseverance and dedication. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Team Whiskey, a product of the CARVS."<p>

A short and thin man rose from his seat. STALLORI was etched on his name tag that was pinned to his chest. "What exactly is the CARVS?"

The Master General turned to Raven, who nodded in compliance. She stared Stallori right in the eyes and he tried not to slink back at the power behind her harmless, though attentive, gaze.

"CARVS is a mutated version of the Altered Rabies Virus Strand, or ARVS. There are two versions, one of which produces the Simple ARVS, or SARVS. Team Whiskey and the other teams on this base have CARVS, or Complex ARVS."

Stallori spoke again, "But what does that-"

The air in the room shifted as Jenevive appeared at the Navy man's throat. The room fell silent with awe and fear. No one had seen the blue-haired beauty move from her position. Everyone was paralyzed.

"Do not interrupt our commander, Immune," the Infected soldier hissed in a clear voice.

"Stand down, Jenevive," Raven commanded, hiding the pride she felt for her comrade behind a stoic gaze.

Just as quickly as she was at the man's throat, she was back in line, her face void of facial expressions. Raven waited for the Navy man to regain his composure, even as he sat down, face red.

"There are five sections of CARVS studied at this facility, and another four in another base in Georgia. The ranks increase from one to five based on an overall species-based performance. Team Whiskey, which houses what you Immunes label as Witches, is composed of five members."

An Air Force commander, a Ms. Retha, rose from her seat. "Where are these other two member of your team?"

"One member, Caroline, was KIA."

"Yet, you still claim her as a member."

"She will remain mentioned in our team until deemed otherwise by the Master General."

"And this other girl? Is she dead as well?" another, seated, voice called.

"No. She was not proper to present to you all today."

"Why not?"

Raven dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. "No more questions will be asked of our team. Girls, move out."

The three Witches saluted the Immunes before descending the four metal steps and marching out of the door, leaving their Master General faced with a barrage of questions.

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><p>Call it vanity, call it narcissism but Garrett loved listening to his own music. His band, Storm of Lead, had made some of the most heart-pumping, head-banging power metal around, and listening to it now that the world had gone to hell inspired him, and helped calm his rapidly-fraying nerves.<p>

So it was that the heavy, rhythmic guitar riffs of Our Final Hour were blasting from the speakers of the Humvee as it bounced and rolled along an old, overgrown forest trail.

Glancing out the window, Garrett grimaced as he saw a few dim shapes flitting between the trees. Wildlife or zombies? No way to tell from this distance. Turning his attention back to the road, he drove in relative peace for a few minutes before the growl of the engine died away. The roar of Garrett's music continued thanks to the car's battery, but the car ground to a halt, silent and lifeless.

Looking down at the dashboard, Garrett almost screamed in frustrated rage when he took in the fuel gauge sitting comfortably on 'Empty'.

Killing the music pounding out of the speakers, Garrett popped the door open and slid out, his heavy, ironshod boots throwing up clouds of dust from the old trail when he landed. Moving to the backseat he withdrew his shotgun and slung it over one shoulder, then grabbed his satchel of food and spare ammo and slung it over the other. Adjusting them in an attempt to get a bit more comfortable, Garrett started down the trail on foot, occasionally glancing side-to-side, into the dark, foggy woods.

"Oh, this has to be your best one yet," he muttered sourly as he walked. "Drive into the middle of the zombie-infested woods, at night, with a low tank of gas. Fucking A, Garrett. How the hell are you even still alive?"

Suddenly, he stopped dead as he heard a sound, coming from the woods somewhere to his... right? Left? Hell, he couldn't even tell where it was coming from. He didn't know if he'd even heard it, or if he'd finally snapped from all the stress and was starting to hallucinate.

Wait! There it was again. Faint, just on the edge of his hearing, but... it sounded like a voice. Not the growls and screams of an enraged Infected, but an actual human voice. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it sounded like a woman.

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><p>Luna kicked her feet off the edge of her bunk bed, book resting in her lap. She drew a curious finger over the words and the story continued to unfold before her, a fantastic movie in her mind's eyes. She could almost hear the voices, feel the pain of the heart-wrenching moment as Martha Williams began to tell her fiancé that his love would never suffice her addiction. Luna almost didn't hear the knocking on her door. She quickly shut the book and jammed it beneath her pillow.<p>

"Come in."

The door creaked opened and a member of Team Hulu stood, his hood pulled from over his head but his light-sensitive eyes still covered with a pair of sunglasses. She recalled his name to be Scott.

"Luna, the Master General wants a word with you."

Luna's heart sank for a second. What did he want to see her for? The conference had to be over by now...She jumped from her bunk and straightened her purple skirt of a crease. Slowly, she followed her fellow Infected soldier down the housing corridor towards the more official section of the base. The eyes that watched didn't answer her question, and their murmurs simply elicited more worry. Why was she being called down to his office? No other soldier in the history of the base, especially not a Witch, had been called to his office.

She had memorized the path in her sleep for a good leg of the journey, but soon she ran into twists and turns that were so very new to her. The Hunter muttered what sounded like, "First right, then the third left" to himself as they walked.

Luna's throat felt dry. What could he possibly want? What had she done? Was she being scolded for something? The Hunter before her stopped in front of a pair of large, wooden doors. She took in a deep breath and fine wine assaulted her nose.

"Luna, you may enter," resonated from inside.

The young Witch wrapped one set of fingers around the brass knob and turned, a gust of cold wind greeting her. The room was dimly lit, leaving her to rely on her night-vision. Three figures were present. The Master General, an astonishingly handsome older gentleman who reminded her fondly of Kyle Craig from the Alex Cross series, sat behind the large mahogany desk.

The personal fitness trainer of the CARVS soldiers stood to the left of the desk, and her superior, Raven, was to the right.

The Master General had a glass in his hand, swirling the liquid with some thought.

"Luna, come in. We need to discuss an issue that has been brought to my attention," he said.

"Y-yes, sir?"

He cleared his throat. "Your statistics have been declining steadily, and the overall performance of this base is suffering because of these statistics."

Luna took in a shaky breath, her heart already aching.

"We can't have unfavorable members in our rankings. Especially since you are a member of the most revered section. So, this saddens me, but I must say that you will be terminated duly and all records of your existence expunged on the records.

A tear threatened to run down Luna's pale cheek at the news, but she forced it away. Declining statistics? Unfavorable member? Termination? Any other day and she would've broken down. But not today. Not now. She took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Permission to speak, sir?"

"Permission granted."

"If I may make a request, sir, I would like a second chance."

The Master General raised an eye to this. "A second chance?"

"Yes, sir. If I may, I'd like to be given a week to improve before you may terminate me."

Raven didn't flinch, but the personal fitness trainer shifted. She whispered something to the Master General, who nodded before whispering something back. The woman's frown drew even tighter, but she straightened up, facing forward.

"After a quick deliberation, I've decided to give you ten days. At the end, you will be subjected to a type of final exam to measure your progress. If you succeed, you can remain. However, if you fail, we will terminate you first thing the following morning."

"Understood, sir," Luna said in a surprisingly steady voice, even as tears threatened to pour down her cheeks. She saluted the three individuals and turned on her heel, exiting the room as the first droplet of water cascaded down her face.

She held her breath as the tears started to rush, running back out of the unfamiliar building to the outside. She found the metal doors and burst through them, the warm air allowing her the comfort she needed. Still, she held in her cries as she ran for a corner of the gated facility, hidden behind the rarely patrolled Aircraft carriers. Quickly, she scaled the chain link fence, landing uneasily on the other side.

Finally, when she was sure no one could hear her, she let loose a wail and fell to her knees like a stereotypical Witch.

"Why, Luna? Why can't you be like Jen and Steph and Raven? Why do you have to be such a disgrace to your team?" she wept to the moon above.

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><p>Garrett still hadn't found the source of the mysterious cries, and it was starting to get on his nerves. It sounded a little like a Witch, but... different. More human. Was it possible that someone else had survived this whole mess, or was he about to walk straight into a blender of fangs and claws?<p>

Sighing, he adjusted the heavy pack a little on his shoulder - he could lift the whole rack on the shoulder-press machine, but after two weeks of this mess, even his muscles were starting to wear out - and looked around for the twentieth time since abandoning the Humvee.

He could see... something... through the trees, although he couldn't make out what he was looking at with the fog. It was large, blocky and angular, almost like... buildings? Was there some sort of outpost all the way out here in the ass end of nowhere?

Starting forward again, he turned sharply as something blundered through the trees toward him. His eyes locked on the lurching figure stumbling over roots, and he half-smiled. Just a Common. Raising his shotgun, he braced it against his hip and fired, the booming report echoing eerily through the trees as the unfortunate zombie was blasted backwards, its head and shoulders reduced to scraps of meat.

Racking the slide one-handed, Garrett turned back in the direction he'd been going but noticed that the voice had stopped. Startled by his gunshot, maybe? Creeping forward, trying to be as quiet as he could while wearing steel-toed boots, Garrett peered through the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything, that might have been making that noise before.

Then his foot caught in a root, and he pitched forward with a startled half-yell. The shotgun and ammo bag tumbled to the ground, and Garrett landed painfully, sliding a few inches in the carpet of dirt and dead leaves. Rolling over onto his back, he looked up straight into the eyes of the most beautiful - and most terrifying - woman he'd ever seen. "Um... hi?"

Luna's golden eyes, which were rimmed with red from her tears and rubbing, stared down at this face. This strangely...interesting face. She had jumped up at the gunshot and now was trying to put on her best killer face that she could through her distress.

"W-who are y-y-you?" she asked, trying to put an edge in her cracked voice.

The Immune on the ground before her was staring not at her, but under her...She scowled and jumped back, face flushed in anger. Some pervert! A hiss creeped up her throat. Her despair dissipated as she glared at her target, nails clicking together menacingly.

"Son of a bitch!" she screamed, throwing up a hand to lash at him. Her claws seemed to cut the light shining on his face. She threw her hand down to stab him in the face, but he rolled out of the way with seconds to spare, her fingers piercing the soft soil.

"Whoa! Hey! What the fuck?" he spoke, scrambling to his feet.

She withdrew her hand from the ground and charged again, aiming for his heart. Why the hell were these Immunes so perverse? Another swipe missed its mark and the barrel of a gun jabbed at her chest, just barely keeping her out of range. She stopped for a millisecond to gauge his intent.

This Immune, with his chiseled face and unruly hair, didn't have his finger on the trigger. He didn't want to kill her...so why was he here?

"State your name," she half-barked, eyes quivering at the strangeness of being irate

The Immune glared. "Witch or not, I don't take orders from no one."

She lunged and he poked her hard in her ribs. She hid her pain behind a stone face.

"You're a fool if you shoot me. You won't make it three steps before you're sliced and diced. Now, what's you name?"

The intruder froze, slowly lowering his weapon. "Garrett."

"Luna." She studied her visitor and something about him caught her interest. Could it be his stone-cold attitude, which reminded her of Ricky James the boxer, or his stunningly out-of-place charm, like Percy Jackson? "How did you find this place?"

"Uh, well, I was riding along and my fucking ride died on me."

She nodded, still trying to place him. Silence surrounded them and she watched as he nudged a rock with the toe of one boot. This Immune was so different, so strange, and yet...so familiar.

"So...what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he tried with a corny one-liner.

She couldn't stop the giggle at the failed attempt at humor and a smile graced her features. Finally, someone new to talk to. That line did mean he wanted to talk to her...didn't it? She crossed her legs at her ankles and dropped to the ground, rearranging herself from Indian-style sitting to a more appropriate kneel.

"I've never talked to a common Immune before," she admitted.

Garrett scoffed at the term. "I ain't common worth shit. I used to be a big shot."

Luna giggled again. "Used to?"

Garrett's eyes hardened at her mockery. He turned on his heels, "I don't need your shit. I'm out of here."

Luna's ears perked up at the sound of the barrack doors opening. She rushed to her feet and at Garrett, practically throwing the man over her shoulder. Even with more than four times her weight on her back, she moved light on her feet and vanished into the cover of the trees, out of sight. Once she was sure he would be safe, she stopped and set him down.

"Holy shit! I thought I was hot shit with my strength."

Luna blushed. Goodness, she never realized that she had that kind of strength and speed before.

"Uh...I...sorry," she muttered. "I should go..."

Garrett's heart froze. He didn't know why, but something in him was screaming at him to not let this woman leave. One of his hands snapped out almost without him telling it to, grasping her shoulder in a hold that was at once gentle and firm. "Wait!" he said, although it came out sounding a little more forceful than he had intended.

Luna turned her head back over her shoulder, looking at him with a slightly startled expression. "Yes?"

"Uh..." Garrett fumbled for words. Honestly, he was unsure why he'd stopped her, but something about her... that glimmer in her eyes, the opalescent sheen of her fair skin, the beautiful hair tumbling in liquid tresses about her shoulders... he couldn't bear to see her leave. Not yet.

"Do you... live here?" he asked, but didn't remove his hand from Luna's shoulder. Glancing down at the appendage that had seemingly become attached to her body, the Witch replied simply "Yes."

Garrett swallowed. His throat was suddenly very dry. "Are you going to come back out?"

Luna looked indecisive, a range of emotions dancing in her eyes. "Maybe," she said. "I don't know. If the Master General finds out-..."

"Wait, wait," Garrett stopped her, removing his hand from her shoulder and stepping in front of her, slightly confused. "Who the hell is the Master General?"

Luna froze, and Garrett could see the pain behind her beautiful eyes, even though it was clear she was trying to hide it. Silence hung over the gloomy forest for several long moments, and then Garrett found himself reaching a hand up towards the Witch's face. His fingers touched her cheek and trailed down it, feeling the cold flesh, smooth as ice beneath his calloused fingertips.

Then a gunshot shattered the silence, and Garrett flinched backwards, his hand retreating. Luna whirled, but nobody was there, and she turned slowly back around. "They'll get suspicious after a while..." she said, and Garrett managed a slight smile. "How long is a while?" he asked, and was rewarded with a small smile in return.

"So, what did you mean earlier, when you said you 'used to be a big shot'?" Luna asked, and Garrett sighed. That old, familiar cocktail of emotions boiled up within him again, and he said "I used to be a rock star. Well, not 'rock' specifically. Power metal. I was the lead singer, and let me tell you we were big. Number eight on the iTunes 'most popular' list, sold-out concerts everywhere we went!" He had started pacing back and forth, his voice rising as he talked. "We were the goddamn shit! And then... my buddies got involved with some bad people, and got caught by the cops. The band broke up."

Garrett glanced over at Luna, and saw her looking up at him with her head tilted to one side, some unreadable emotion flickering in her eyes. "What was the band's name?" she asked, and Garrett shrugged off his leather jacket. By way of answer, he flexed a bicep for her, the words 'Storm of Lead' inked atop the massive, rippling muscle. Luna's eyes widened, her mouth forming a startled 'oh', and he raised an eyebrow. "What, heard of us?"

Luna nodded, thinking back to her hidden stash of music. The CD in her music player, it was by a band that she couldn't get enough of, but the name of the artists escaped her. The song title Our Final Hour seemed familiar. "I think so. Did you guys do Our Final Hour?"

Garrett nodded, a smug grin on his face. "One of our best hi-"

The wind was knocked out of him as a pair of thin arms wrapped around his chest in a hug. The pair dropped to the ground. "Oh my gawd, I love that song! I sing it every day! You're Garrett Everett. THE GARRETT EVERETT!" She squeezed even tighter. How could she not have recognized his voice? It was the man of her dreams, sitting before her.

Garrett squirmed in her grasp and she quickly let go. He sucked in a sharp breath. "Damn, calm down. God, that would've been worse than being stabbed to death."

Luna blushed in embarrassment, forgetting her brute strength. She wanted to ramble off lyrics to every single one of the band's songs. It took all of her will power not to kiss him fully, her dreams of doing so flashing in her mind. Garrett Everett of Storm of Lead, talking to her. She felt as if in a dream.

And then, reality hit her.

She was Infected. A monster. A killing machine with the most unstable emotions of everyone she knew. What if he didn't like her like that? What if he was just sweeping the area and she happened to have caught him? What if, the second she turned to leave, he shot her in the skull? It wouldn't surprise her in the least. Any other sane-minded creature would kill the one thing that knew of their existence. What made this rock-star any different?

Garrett reached forward to touch her again and she swatted at him blindly, her talons slicing through the edge of a tree. Tears were starting to pour again, and she didn't want him to see her cry. Her feet felt like lead as she rose from the forest ground.

"I'm sorry, Garrett. I...I have to go," she huffed softly, hoping he couldn't hear the break in her voice. Still, her feet wouldn't move. Just one kiss. Just one before she fell to pieces. She had to kiss him...had to. Had to. HAD TO!

With that, she turned around and crashed her lips to his, the three brief seconds of contact lighting her heart on fire. She ripped herself away and took off for the gate, tears of joy and pain mixing on her face as she scaled the chain-link fence and landed on the inside. One last time, she looked back, and she could feel his eyes on hers. A worried smile graced her features and she took off for her bed. Even through the taboo, she willed for him to stay nearby, just for tonight. Just one more night...

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><p>Garrett slumped back against the tree, sliding down the trunk until he came to a stop sitting amidst the roots. Reaching up, he idly touched his lips where Luna's own had graced him, then looked up at the fence over which the Witch had disappeared. Had... had that just really happened?<p>

His heart was pounding, his head was swimming, and his jeans suddenly felt about two sizes smaller. Reaching up, Garrett ran a hand through his short-cropped mess of auburn hair, trying to get his thoughts into some semblance of order. She was going to come back tomorrow... right?

With a sigh, he made a lunge for his dropped satchel, grabbing it and dragging it over to him. Unzipping it, he rummaged around inside, withdrawing a couple of MREs - Meals Ready to Eat, a type of prepackaged military food that was barely fit for human consumption - and tearing open the first one. Devouring the contents, he reached for another, then paused at a rustling in the undergrowth.

The sound stopped, and for a moment Garrett thought he'd imagined it, but then a pair of bestial yellow eyes flashed in the darkness, and Garrett lunged for his gun.

The Infected was faster. Diving out of the brush, the zombie managed to accidentally kick Garrett's shotgun out of the big singer's reach as it charged forward. Snarling curses, Garrett leapt to his feet as the zombie approached, pulling back a fist and giving the mindless creature his best right hook.

Back when there were still gyms to go to, Garrett could bench-press three-hundred-and-eighty pounds, and in fits of drunken rage he had been known to punch holes in walls. The zombie's head whipped backwards, its teeth coming together with an audible 'snap', and landed flat on its back in the dirt. Snatching up his shotgun, Garrett put a booted foot on the zombie's chest and ended its struggles with one pull of the trigger.

Returning to his spot by the tree, Garrett slumped down against it once more and suddenly realized how tired he was. Come to think of it, he hadn't slept since... hell, he couldn't remember. That was probably a bad sign. Sleeping in Infected territory was never a good idea, but it couldn't be too dangerous with whatever that base was right next to it. And besides, he was just... so...

His head fell backwards against the trunk of the tree, and Garrett slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, ladies and gentlemen! 'Tis I, Jalos. We - Inki Veins and I - are proud to present to you the second chapter of The Wolves at Our Heels! *triumphant trumpet fanfare* Before we move on to the actual important stuff (that is, the story), I'd just like to take a moment to thank all of you who've left a review! Rest assured, we love you very much. ^-^**

**And now, without further ado, I present to you Inki Veins! Take 'er away, Inki. *bows and exits stage left***

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><p><strong>*throws cookies and plushies at reviewers* Thank you guys for taking the time to voice your little opinions about our story. Makes us smile. n_n. So, I don't really want to repeat the DISCLAIMER from chapter one (I hope I shouldn't have to, honestly). So, I think I've rambled enough for one day. ON WITH THE SHOW!<strong>

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><p>"Come on, ladies. Just thirty more miles to go!"<p>

Luna's feet ran beneath her, the previous 170 miles taking no toll on her. Storm of Lead's Our Final Hour was booming in her brain, and it gave her the confidence to trek on. She tried not to sing along as the chorus playing in her head.

"The hour is fast drawing nigh, when all of us from low or high, will serve our country now gone sour, standing guard until our final hour," she whispered.

"Have something to share, Luna?" the personal trainer asked, passing by and catching the words.

"No, ma'am," Luna replied, glancing at the Huntress who was keeping pace with her.

"Good. Because you all should be chanting the creed. I WANT TO HEAR YOU, LADIES!"

The Witches and Huntresses stood up straighter and began their chant.

"We are the cure! Through the struggles of humanity, we break through! Bullets shall not pierce our skin! Knives shall not cut our will! CARVS will make us better! CARVS is not just a cure, it's a lifestyle! WE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION!"

"LOUDER, LADIES! I want the Master General to hear you!"

Once again, the Infected Women chanted.

Thirty miles soon became ten, then ten to five, and finally the last mile was upon them.

The personal trainer went about checking each of the trainees, making sure they were not fatigued. Luna took deep, even breaths as the last mile counted down.

"Hut one! Hut two! Women can be soldiers too!" the Huntress beside her chanted.

"Hut three, four, five. Through your will, we shall survive!" another witch further down chimed in

"We don't sit around at home and children we have none. Just as strong as any man, only without the gun. Peace and love is dead indeed, Women, what the Army needs."

All of the treadmills beeped in harmony as the counter read 200 miles, slowing to a soft jog, then a walk, and finally to a stop.

"Okay, ladies, hit the showers."

The female soldiers dismounted their treadmills and marched in a single file line towards the locker room and the showers, where they separated. A few pairs held conversations about their workout, but Luna took to a stall, turning on the water as hot as it would go. She placed a hand under the cascade and the scalding water felt comforting.

She shimmied her shorts down around her ankles and kicked them in her locker. Her soaking shirt followed suit. She rolled her shoulders, the pressure from weight-lifting and push ups finally taking their toll. She reached behind her back with one hand and unsnapped her bra, pulling the straps down her arms. Her fingers went about hooking beneath the hips of her underwear, dragging them down her legs. She stood stark naked, unphased by her curvaceous figure, and grabbed her towel, walking to the nearest stall.

Luna took a step into her shower and sighed as the stream of scalding liquid cascaded down her back. She stood there for a moment, running a hand through her wet tresses. Her silver hair fell around her shoulders. Even as she lathered the soap in her hands, something in the back of her mind had her feeling strange.

Garrett...she could still taste his lips, a sensation that made her body shiver in delight. She could still remember last night's encounter. That kiss had been the last contact before she had run back. Suddenly, her self esteem plummeted. What if he didn't like her?

She ran her hands over her body and the scars she felt made her heart sink. How was she going to approach him tonight? What would she wear? What would she say? Did he even _want_ her to come back?

"Stoppit, Luna," she chastised herself. "If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have wanted you to stay."

She bathed herself with scented bath soap and washed her hair, watching the dirt swirl down the drain. Afterward, she wrapped her towel tight around herself, making sure to cover her breasts snugly before stepping into the open.

* * *

><p>Garrett spat blood, swiping his tongue over his teeth and tasting the coppery tang of it. Reaching up and wiping at his split lips with the back of one hand, he looked up into the face of his friend and ex-bandmate, Jerry Black. He was quite a bit skinnier than Garrett, but had gotten the drop on the big man and smashed him across the face with a metal chair.<p>

Pushing himself up off the floor of the prison cell, Garrett held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Whoah, whoah, hold on Jer-…" he broke off in mid-sentence, tendrils of ice wrapping around his heart as he took in the lifeless hunger in Jerry's eyes.

'Wait…' Garrett thought, taking a few cautious steps backwards. 'This isn't how it-'

Pain exploded in his gut, and Garrett bit his tongue to keep from screaming. Looking down, he saw four long, bloodstained claws protruding from his abdomen, then look back over his shoulder into the face of… himself.

The other-Garrett shoved him hard, and Garrett fell forward, tumbling across the ground and landing on his back in the middle of the room. Pain stabbed through him, and Garrett took shallow, shaky breaths as he looked up at his murderers.

The not-Garrett reached down, grabbing one of real-Garrett's arms and pulling it up, trailing razor claws over it almost lovingly. "Garrett…" it purred, and increased the pressure of its caresses until its claws left little cuts behind them. Garrett's eyes were watering, and his jaw was clenched so tightly that it ached as his dark reflection continued "You know, it's funny… you're more of a monster than half the things trying to eat you. Do you even remember half of the things you did?" It chuckled, a dark, melodious sound, and then swiftly and utterly without warning turned one of its hands and jerked sideways, its razor claws slashing through flesh, muscle and bone.

None of Garrett's pain-tolerance tricks could keep him from screaming. Writhing on the floor, he stared down in horrified disbelief at the bloody stump just below his elbow.

The not-Garrett laughed again, and added "No… of course you don't. You were drunk. How many people have you injured or killed? How many married women have you slept with? How many lives have you ruined? How many-…"

"Shut up!" Garrett hissed through gritted teeth, and started feebly trying to struggle into a standing position. The not-Garrett gave him a kick in the face that quickly dissuaded him, then leaned down, its lips splitting in an expression that had nothing to do with a smile.

Garrett swallowed, looking up into the soulless, flinty eyes that hovered above him. "And one more thing…" the not-Garrett said, resting a finger on real-Garrett's chest. "This won't be the last time you see me."

* * *

><p>Luna brushed out the final knot in her hair out, a picturesque curl forming as a result. She stared in the mirror and smiled.<p>

"Perfect."

"Luna!"

The young Witch turned at the voice, her fluttering heart sinking. Jenevive and Stephany. She tussled her hair, her curls falling into waves. The two older Witches walked around the corner and stopped, sniffing the air.

"Is that...perfume?" Jenevive inquired, scrunching her nose.

"Luna, what's with the get-up? We're just going to dinner. Put on your sweats and come to the table."

A lump formed in the younger girl's throat. What could she say? Both girls had to know, fully well, that something was up. She racked her brain for a few moments before a plausible excuse found her.

"The Master General wanted me to meet with a commander from another base. He didn't want me to tell you two, or Raven, because it was supposed to be a secret meeting."

Stephany's bright blue eyes delved deeper into the golden orbs of Luna. The tension grew, but Luna held her ground, hoping that she wouldn't get caught in her lie. Never before had she so boldly told her superiors a fib, and it made her blood run cold.

The ginger Witch broke their stare with a nod. "Okay. Sorry to interrupt."

With that, the superior soldiers turned and walked away. Luna stayed in her spot for until she was sure that she was alone. Her heart beat like a steel drum in her chest as she turned back to the mirror. A rosy color had painted her gray cheeks in her fear.

"That was too close..." she muttered, trying to fix her hair back for her...was it a date? A meeting? Reunion? She groaned and ignored the lack of title. All she knew was that she was going to see Garrett again, and the butterflies returned just as fast as they had vanished.

With a final look-over, she found her attire visually appealing and hoped the bit of perfume wouldn't put him off.

"Time to go see Garrett again."

Luna went by her room and grabbed the one CD she had by Storm of Lead. She tucked it close to her hip in her skirt, quick to exit the housing compound. Her dainty feet carried her to the same corner that faced Garrett and she scaled the gate, careful not to catch her skirt in the barbed wire at the top. She landed flat on her feet, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't followed.

She scurried into the trees and looked for the band singer. "Garrett?" she called, trying to find his scent. A rustling made her freeze in her tracks. "G-g-Garrett, is that you?"

She slunk closer to the noise and saw an Immune with a twisted expression on his face. She rushed over, recognizing Garrett's face anywhere. She rubbed her claws on his arm to try and comfort him in his frightening sleep, but he looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek.

"Garrett! Wake up!" she begged, terror overcoming her. She shook his arm in a feeble attempt to stir the older man, but he just screamed, making her heart pound. 'Oh, God! No! Stop screaming, please,' she thought, desperate to quiet him before anything came to investigate.

Luna wiped his brow of sweat with her palm as his screams died down, his face twisted in pain. Tears grew in the brims of her eyes. She wanted him to wake up. In his sleep, he set his jaw, giving a low growl. She placed a hand absently on his chest, the first few tears spilling down her cheeks. What was he dreaming about? Was she in the dream? Did she make him scream?

"Garrett, please, wake up. Please..."

* * *

><p>Garrett shot awake with a startled yell, lurching into a half-sitting position and eliciting a yelp from whatever was on top of him. Still half-asleep, with the image of his other self burning in his mind's eye, Garrett pulled back a fist... and stopped. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, and then realized he was quite literally nose-to-nose with none other than Luna.<p>

For a long moment, he was lost in the depths of her eyes, and he was a little surprised to see the emotions boiling within them. She looked worried - distraught, even. "L-Luna?" he asked uncertainly, and the witch all but tackled him.

His heart still hammering from his less-than-pleasant dream, Garrett reached up, gently wrapping an arm around Luna's back. Pulling a little away from him, she looked up into his eyes, and asked "What were you dreaming about?"

"Uh..." Garrett said dumbly, staring back down at the woman who had now oozed completely onto his lap. He had to admit, it was definitely a pleasant thing to wake up to, but it was more than a little distracting. "Just a nightmare," he said after a few seconds of awkward silence. If he told her what he'd really been dreaming about... hell, he was questioning his own sanity after that.

"I'm sorry," Luna murmured, reaching up and tenderly running a clawed hand down Garrett's cheek. The big man flushed slightly, gnawing on his lip to try and distract himself from the tightness in his jeans. Now was not the time, but he could hardly be blamed for it, what with the gorgeous woman practically lying on top of him. "Uh... that's okay," he said, attempting a reassuring smile.

After several more long moments of awkward silence - which the witch on his lap seemed not to notice - Garrett said "Er... how about I get some breakfast, hm?"

"Oh!" Luna gasped, hastily backing off of him almost as if she hadn't realized what she was doing. "Sorry, sorry." Garrett waved a dismissive hand, as if saying 'don't worry about it,' then stood up, stretching luxuriously to work out the kinks from sleeping. 'Note to self - trees are not comfortable beds.'

Leaning down, Garrett opened his travel-sack and withdrew some of the canned food that he'd been saving. Chicken soup, and... chicken soup. Fantastic.

Selecting the chicken soup, Garrett dropped the... chicken soup... back into his travel sack and plopped down on the ground close to where Luna was sitting. Grabbing the tab, he tore the can open and, lacking a spoon of any sort, started drinking it as if the can were a cup. Noticing Luna's eyes upon him, although with what emotion in them he couldn't say, he swallowed his mouthful of soup and ventured "Uh... want some?"

Luna's face was graced with a full blush. Her stomach was empty... "S-sure." Her face grew even hotter as he offered her the can he had just touched to his own mouth. She clenched her hands in anticipation. Was he going to take it away from her when he realizes that he just drank from it himself? When his hand didn't move away, she took it between shaking palms.

She looked inside the can to find chunks of chicken and noodles floating inside. She dipped a clean claw in the container and stabbed a few noodles and a chicken cube. Garrett's eyes were making her cheeks hotter as she removed her kebab-like appendage and gracefully placed the food in her mouth.

The meager pieces reminded her that she still hadn't eaten dinner and, without so much as a second thought, the edge of the can met her lips and she took a large mouthful of the chilled soup. One mouthful became two, and two to three before she remember it wasn't her meal to wholly devour. She slowly lowered the can and quickly offered it back to Garrett.

"Thanks," she piped, twiddling her thumbs before wiping the edge of a finger across her lips.

Garrett looked back at the two gulps he had left. "No problem..." he grumbled a bit, throwing the remains back before she got another idea to finish his breakfast.

The silence set in, making Luna shift in her spot. What do they talk about now? A poking at her side brought her golden eyes down to her hip and she almost sighed aloud. The CD. Her elongated fingers carefully removed the square disc case and she handed it to Garrett with a smile on her face.

He took the CD and glanced at the cover. "This was our last CD."

"Yeah, it's the only one I was able to sneak in. They don't really like stuff like outside music and novels in the base. Says it's distracting." Luna watched the large man turn the cover over a few times before prying it open to look at the actual disc itself. His face held a stoic composure, but his eyes were ablaze with memories and emotions. She saw joy, laughter, power, and then shock, fear, betrayal. "Garrett? Are you okay?"

He nodded, but didn't say a word, his jaw set. His flint eyes remained locked on the disc in his hand, his thick fingers flipping the item a few times, as if trying to make something appear from the silver surface. After what felt like a hour's worth of flipping the disc, he placed it gingerly back in the case and returned the musical piece to Luna.

The Witch set the case beside her in the dirt, looking around at the world around her. For the first time, she didn't see obstacles, targets, potential damage or anything of that nature. She saw trees and branches and the moon and one sniff gave her the scent of running water. Her golden eyes were dripping with childlike intuition. Her eyes fell on Garrett, who had gone searching through his bag for something.

"Garrett?"

"Hmm?" he asked, still digging through the sack.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Life out here. Life as an Immune," she asked, the words almost biting her back when she realized what she had really asked.

He froze, raising his head from the bag. His eyes wavered between absolute confusion and raw anger. He went back to his searching, uttering two words. "Fucking hell."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't m-"

"I know what you meant."

Her heart sank. Everything she's read in her books...sure, there was war and people died, but there was sunshine and the wonders of nature and...and...love. Life on the outside, before everything became organized chaos, couldn't possibly be hell.

"A-are you sure? Because...because my books-"

"Books aren't fucking real, Luna," he said in a dark voice, finally zipping his bag closed and dropping it at his side. "They don't tell you everything. They only tell you the happy shit that ends in two people who fucking wanted nothing to do with each other falling head over heels and living happily ever after in the middle of goddamn nowhere. What a load of shit."

Luna closed her mouth. Her curiosity was spiking. "Tell me, then."

"I don't know about every other motherfucker, but I know that my life has been no goddamn walk-in-the-park."

Luna placed a gentle hand on his thigh and their eyes met. "Still, tell me. I want to know."

Garrett heaved a sigh, leaning back against the tree and reaching up, running a hand through his hair. The long, greasy black locks slid through his fingers, and he remarked that he couldn't remember how long it had been since the last time he took a shower. Shrugging these thoughts away, he looked Luna straight in the eye, and began.

"Well, back before... all this," he waved his hand in an expansive gesture to indicate the infection in general, "The world wasn't quite such a shit hole." Letting out a little fell chuckle, he amended "Well... it was still a shit hole, just not as much of one. Even after my 'friends' got busted by the cops and my rock star life went in the toilet, it was bearable. Yeah, I wasn't playing the Ritz or ten-thousand-seat stadiums, but I still got gigs. I got enough money for food and booze, and I'd travel around the country on this big black vintage Harley that a buddy of mine restored for me back when I first made it big."

Wishing for a bottle of Jack Daniels - hell, some half-decent beer would do - Garrett licked his dry lips and continued. "But then... this happened. I don't know how it started, but one day I'm sitting around in this fancy hotel room in Phoenix, in-between gigs, and the next day there are fucking zombies everywhere." Blowing out a long breath, he closed his eyes for a moment as if lost in thought. "Now... life isn't about singing, or expensive hotels and cheap booze, or even my big Harley. It's not about music, or food, or friends and family."

His eyes became two hard, razor-sharp chips of flint, and he said "It's about survival. It's about being able to run faster than that huge 'roided son of a bitch who's gonna tear you a new asshole if he catches you, it's about swinging an axe until your muscles burn and your fingers are full of fucking splinters, its about walking mile after goddamn endless mile until your legs ache and your feet feel like they're about to fall off and all you want to do is rest. It's about being too damn stubborn to give up, and it's about being the strongest, toughest motherfucker out there. It's about survival of the fittest, fucking Darwin at his best."

Garrett hadn't realized it, but he had stopped speaking and started half-yelling, half-growling, words flooding out of his mouth with fury and intensity that surprised even him. He had leaned forward a little, and now slumped back against the tree, all his explosive fire spent. Luna was staring at him with eyes wide as saucers, and Garrett closed his eyes for a moment. 'Aw, shit... shouldn't have done that. Now she probably thinks I'm a fucking head case.'

"Uh... sorry about that," he mumbled, tried feebly for a reassuring smile, gave up, and instead turned away, looking out into the forest. He really hadn't meant to explode on the poor woman like that. Sparing a glance over at her, he noticed her face was a mask of worry, her eyes clouded with remorse. Did she feel bad for bringing the subject up? 'Shit... what the hell am I gonna do now?'

Luna couldn't help the worry that sat on her face at Garrett's life story. She didn't realize just how much this infection had affected the man. And this was saying that his life before hand wasn't as bad

"Garrett..." she whispered.

He didn't turn to face her, almost didn't acknowledge that she was still sitting out of his view

Her heart ached, something she knew the base hated. She squeezed his thigh firmly, hoping even if he didn't turn, he would listen.

"Garrett, I don't remember much before the base, but I do know one thing. I hated myself for all the pain I caused.

"I've killed more people than I care to remember. Mindless creatures with just a past. People who shot at me to try and stay alive. For God's sake, I stabbed a baby...an infant! Every night for weeks, all I could think about was the screaming, the crying, just the anger I felt for this infection and at one point, I stopped and I couldn't help but think 'how could I hush something that was doing what I do just about everyday?'"

Still, Garrett didn't turn.

Luna didn't want to continue. The memories were starting to rise again, flooding her hear with uncontrolled anger. But, the door that kept them locked away was starting to fall off the hinges.

"Garrett, why didn't you shoot me in the forehead when I attacked you? Why, when you saw me, did you say 'hi'? Not even the military commanders start a conversation with 'hi'. It's so...unnatural."

"I don't fucking know," Garrett spat, not nearly with as much venom as she's witnessed. "I just said the first thing on my mind, okay?"

"No. Not okay. That doesn't answer anything! You tell me all this stuff, about how you've killed and fought to live another day, and you see me, a WITCH, and you don't scream and run at the thought of my talons in your chest?" Her heart started to race, blood surging in confusion and anger.

Suddenly, something snapped and she pinned him on his back, her knees in his chest and her eyes staring into him with such primal hatred.

"Why did you want me to stay last night? WHY?"

No answer came, and she expected as much. She only seems to apply even more pressure, a pained groan rushing from his lips.

"You say your life changed in the course of a day. Tell me." Her voice was slowly getting steadier, her rage dropping. "Before my anger comes back. Tell me something..."

Garrett stared up into the blazing eyes above him, feeling Luna's knees digging into his chest. Although she was fast as hell and could probably gut him if she really wanted to, she must have weighed no more than a hundred and twenty pounds, and he could throw her off without much effort... but for some reason, he didn't want to. "You want to know what changed my life, huh?" he said, staring up with eyes strangely devoid of fear into the face of the Witch astride his chest. "Well, it was about a year ago..."

* * *

><p>Garrett chuckled, leaning one elbow on the marble countertop and holding a glass of expensive wine in the other hand. His slicked-back black hair fell in greased waves down the back of his neck, and his flinty eyes sparkled with mirth. He was still in concert garb - a black leather sleeveless duster that showed off the powerful muscles rippling across his shoulders, arms, and chest, a pair of dark jeans belted at his waist with a leather belt, and a pair of knee-high motorcycle boots - and that combined with his impressive height made him stand out from the crowd like a lion among gazelles.<p>

His gaze swept the room, searching for his bandmates. He couldn't find them, but that was hardly a surprise. In a party this size, individual people could get lost in the crowd very easily. "Holy shit, look!" a woman's voice squealed from somewhere behind him. "It's Garrett Everett! I knew the band was at this party, but I didn't expect to actually see any of them!"

Turning laconically, Garrett tipped back his wineglass, downing the whole thing in one practiced gulp. Placing the cup on the counter, he smiled benevolently at the small group of people gathered nearby. They looked like college students - the oldest was maybe twenty-two - and all of them were wearing some form of Storm of Lead paraphernalia. "Hey there," Garrett said, and the woman in the lead blushed slightly. "Enjoying the party?"

He was about to say more when the front door of the fancy bar exploded inward. Garrett recoiled involuntarily, one hand creeping to his hip where his six-inch hunting knife was sheathed, and in stormed a squad of cops in riot gear. "Nobody move!" the policewoman in the lead shouted, and Garrett's eyes widened. Cops? What the hell were cops doing here?

Suddenly, one of the cops turned and pointed at Garrett. "There's one of them!" he yelled, and Garrett blinked. A pair of cops pushed through the crowd toward him, and Garrett swallowed when he noticed that they were both carrying guns, although they weren't holding them at firing height yet. "Can I help you, officers?" Garrett asked as the cops drew near, and one of them - taller by a few inches than his companion - barked "Where are the other members of your band!"

Garrett flinched. "Hell, I don't know. We all came in here after the concert, and the other three split off. I think I saw Johnny heading into the warehouse, but-..." The taller cop cut him off. "Stay right here. I'll be watching you." Turning to the other cops, he yelled "Harvey, Richards, search the warehouse! The rest of you, fan out! Find them!"

* * *

><p>Blinking a few times, returning himself to reality, Garrett looked up into Luna's eyes and finished "And that was pretty much that. Turned out, the other three had been doing deals with a drug ring for about a month. Not some street-corner gangbangers, real big-time drug lords. They let me off the hook because they couldn't find any evidence connecting me to it, but..." he trailed off, looking away. "That was it. I was done. Sure, I was still a name. I still got invited to sing at parties, played gigs with a few up-and-coming bands... but nothing ever stuck. I was off the world stage."<p>

"Wow," Luna whispered, the surprises coming at her like gunfire. One question suddenly popped into her mind, and she quickly blurted it out. "So...drugs are bad?" she asked.

Garrett raised his eyebrow. "You don't know anything, do you?"

Her lips formed an embarrassed smile as she shook her head.

Garrett's laughter nearly shook her off his chest, like either of them really noticed anymore until now. Her hands found their way onto his shoulders and she crept to the ground beside him.

Soon, the laughter died. "Wow. Luna, you sure are something else. I mean, shit, I thought the military practically burned everyone who did crack and shit like that."

Luna shook her head again, her silver tresses jumping over and off her shoulders. "They never really had to tell us about it. I mean, we're Specials. We never had any crack..." The last sentence sat on her tongue, hoping for elaboration on drugs, or a subject change.

Garrett noticed the pause. "It's nothing you really need to think about, then," he admitted.

Luna nodded. "What about...parties?"

"God, you really ARE locked in there, aren't you? You've never been to a party? Have you ever had alcohol?"

"We used rubbing alcohol for cuts and stuff. But I've never had the kind you drink, no."

Another dry laugh rolled off the rocker's tongue. "You little basket case. And lemme guess, I was your first kiss."

The wind rushed from her lungs at that comment. He remember...and he was joking about it? Did that mean...he thought it was funny?

"Well..." she muttered, twiddling her thumbs before he was laughing again. Her cheeks grew hotter. "Stop laughing..."

"I'm sorry, Luna. It's just...that shit is funny as hell! I mean, you are so fucking innocent, it's insane."

Luna stood up, curling her fingers into balls. She should've figured. A big-shot like him's probably had scores of girls kiss him out of nowhere. She was just another notch on his belt.

"I should go."

His laughter died down, a small frown taking its place on his features. "Hey, don't go. Damn, I didn't mean-"

"You shouldn't stay here. There's a small cave about thirty kilometers west of here. Move tonight. Tomorrow, my comrades and I train. If you want to die, then stay. If not, then go."

With that and a stone-cold heart that would make Raven proud, she ran back into the gated environment she called home, flipping over the gate without laying so much as a claw along the metal. She was read to go into the housing complex when something crashed against the gate and she turned, claws ready. Garrett was staring at her with his hard eyes.

"I said, go," she hissed, keeping her distance.

Garrett stood up against the fence, the cold of the metal links against his fingers not nearly as cold as the claw tugging at his heart. "Dammit, Luna, listen to me!" he said, a little more forcefully than he intended. "I didn't mean it like that, okay? I... I've just never met a girl like you before."

Before she could ask what that meant, he forged ahead. "All the girls who've ever approached me just liked me because I was famous, or because they had some obsessive fangirl crush on me. One fuck and I was on my way, and never heard from them again. Once, I even met someone I liked... maybe even loved. But all she saw when she looked at me was the lead singer of Storm of Lead. She saw the fame and the glamour, not me. When I talked, she didn't hear my words - she heard the lyrics of my songs. Damn near broke my heart when she left, but she probably didn't feel a damn thing."

Balling one of his hands into a fist and pressing it against the chain link, he continued "You're the first woman I've ever seen who wasn't either a fucking attention whore or obsessed with me simply because of my status, and... and I don't know how to deal with that!" He paused to take a breath, and saw Luna staring at him from the other side of the fence, although with what emotion in her eyes he couldn't read.

"I... I feel... I don't know what the fuck I feel! I'm confused, I'm exhausted, I'm depressed, I'm furious at this fucked-up world we live in, and the only thing I know for sure is that I want... no, need to be near you. I don't know why I feel this way - even with the goddamn bitch that broke my heart, I never felt anything like this... and I don't know how the hell to deal. Just... stay with me a little longer, okay?"

His voice had fallen from a half-yell to something barely above a whisper, and his hard, flinty eyes had softened, brimming with pent-up emotions. He'd never told anyone this much before, and he didn't even know why he was saying half the stuff he was saying. What did he think was gonna happen - this wasn't some goddamn story book, where he and the gorgeous Witch, the classic couple from two different worlds, would beat the odds and make a life together. This was the real world - and a zombie apocalypse to boot.

Luna wasn't saying anything, so Garrett blew out his breath and let go of the fence, taking a staggering step backwards. Staring through the fence at his... fan? Crush? ...whoever the hell she was, he ventured "Please?"

Luna's heart twisted at the sudden onslaught of emotions, but she didn't have time to think about it. She needed to go, before her resolve burned her to the spot. "I'm sorry, Garrett. Go, please."

"Luna, don't leave me."

She closed her eyes and turned away from the sad gaze. "Good night." Slowly, she walked back into the housing compound, slowly closing the door behind her. Down the empty corridors her feet carried her, the silence allowing her frizzled mind to wander. He was pouring his heart out to her, and she just walked away. No promises of meeting tomorrow. No promises of seeing him ever again. Just...leaving.

Into her room she walked, Jenevive laying in her bed, sharpening her claws with a knife.

"How was your dinner with the captain?" the elder which inquired, pausing from her task.

Luna pulled herself up to her bunk, curling towards the wall. "It could've gone better."

"Okay. We have training outside at 0630."

"I'll be there." Luna wiped an angry tear from her face. She drew her book from under her pillow and opened it to the earmark. She read the words off the page, falling into the perfect fantasy, her escape. Soon, Garrett was forced into the far corners of her mind and she fell asleep, books splayed at her side, a wondrous melody lulling her to sleep.

* * *

><p>Garrett took a few unsteady steps away from the fence, the icy claw that had been trailing its fingers across his innards plunging upwards and taking his heart in a vice grip. His vision clouded as a single, glistening teardrop formed at the corner of each eye. Was he... was Garrett Everett, the badass motherfucker who'd made headlines in five countries, watched his band fall apart around him and survived the goddamn zombie apocalypse... seriously about to cry?<p>

No. Hell no. Fuck that. He needed to find something, anything to take his feelings out on. Turning away blindly, he reached up and ran his hands through his hair, his trembling fingers gripping desperately at the greasy locks. His bag. Where did he leave his bag? Over there. Over there, by the... shotgun. Shotgun! He'd dropped his... there! Before he even really knew what he was doing, he'd picked up his weapon, slung his satchel over his shoulder, and started walking.

Where was he going? He'd be damned if he knew. Anywhere. Nowhere. Away from here. What was it that Luna had said? There was a cave thirty kilometres... west? East? Shit, he couldn't remember. West. Yeah, that sounded right. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, his free hand clenching and unclenching at his side. What the fuck was wrong with him? He'd barely even met this girl and now... what was that? His head whipped around at a growl in the underbrush behind him. A hunter. His lips twisted up in a feral smile, his bag and shotgun clattering to the ground. He'd asked for something to take his emotions out on... and there it was.

Turning, his vision exploding in red as the grief and confusion in his gut boiled over into scalding fury, he stepped forward as the hunter pounced, dodging to the side and turning, grabbing the foul thing's hood as it sailed past him. The hunter made a little choking sound, and the cloth tore away, unable to stop the creature's momentum, but it had slowed and distracted the beast. Stepping in, Garrett grabbed the thing by the neck, lifting it up into the air and smashing it into a tree with a roar that was more feral than the noises the hunter had made. Something cracked, and Garrett wasn't sure whether it was in the tree or the hunter.

Letting go, Garrett brought his other hand around in a hook that shattered the hunter's nose and mouth. His knuckles stung like fire where the hunter's teeth had cut into them, but the creature's face was a bloody ruin as it staggered backwards, hissing and spitting in pain and rage. Garrett didn't give it time to recover, closing in and bringing a booted foot up in a kick to its chest that literally sent it sailing backwards, hitting another tree and falling to the ground. Clearly injured, the hunter tried to push itself to its feet, but Garrett grabbed its head and smashed it mercilessly into the ground.

Then he did it again.

And again.

By the time he let go, the beast's features were no longer recognizable as having once been human. Staggering backwards, little bits of hair falling from between his fingers, Garrett raised a hand to his face as the last of his murderous rage drained away, leaving an empty, exhausted shell. Fuck. He needed to get the hell out of here. Taking a nap in that cave sounded like a really good idea right then.


	3. Chapter 3

Garrett sat, his knees pulled up halfway and his powerful arms draped across them, staring out into the woods. He could hear the shouts of the drill instructor - at least, he assumed it was a drill instructor - as the intelligent specials trained, but paid it barely any mind. He was too busy staring through the trees, his flinty eyes searching for any sign of Luna. The beautiful Witch had managed to elude his gaze for the past three days, making him wonder if she was doing it on purpose.

He scoffed. Three days. What the hell had possessed him to stay here for three days? By logic, he should have left here the first day, after the training session ended. He should have packed up and started off. This place was clearly not his home anymore, and just as soon as he found some reliable means of transportation, he could head north. The cold would probably slow the zombies down, maybe even freeze them. He could find a place to settle down, fortify it, start gathering supplies... have an actual home for the first time in a long time.

But... here he was, sitting in a dark, chilly cave in the ass end of nowhere. The whirlwind of emotions that had torn at him on the first night had mostly faded, but there was still a dull ache behind his ribs. This was the first time in his life that he honestly liked someone who honestly liked him back - or seemed to, anyway - and she'd run off without anything more than 'goodbye'. She hadn't told him his feelings were returned, or that she'd come back and see him again... she hadn't told him anything.

So, by logic - that word that was meaning less and less to him as the days went by - he should have left. Maybe even then and there. Should have forgotten the cave and just hoofed it out of the forest, found a hotel or something to spend the night in. Some place that actually had a bed, and a food supply. Speaking of food... reaching down, Garrett rummaged around in his travel sack, extracting his last can of soup. Chicken noodle... again. Goddamn, but he was getting sick of chicken noodle soup.

Sighing, he unceremoniously tore the lid off, tossing it over his shoulder before tipping the can back and draining half of it. The cold, slippery slop was far from what Garrett would have described as 'good' before the infection hit, but at this point, any food was a welcome blessing.

Swallowing a few more mouthfuls of the stuff, he perked his ears when he heard a soft rustle. Just barely on the edge of his hearing, quiet as the furtive movements of a mouse, but it was definitely there. Looking around, he furrowed his brow in confusion when he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to take another swallow of soup when something caught his eye.

Setting the soup can down by his bag and grabbing his shotgun for some extra protection, Garrett started down the slight slope towards the forest. When he reached the odd object that had attracted his attention, he was even more confused. A book? What the hell was a book doing all the way out here? Bending down, Garrett picked it up, and noticed with some curiosity that a page was marked. With a shrug, he flipped to it and started reading.

* * *

><p>Officer Micheal Franks practically punched the screen saver of his laptop. Just another fucking lonely night at the precinct. His teeth were gnawing at his pencil in anger. His desk, which could once be seen as a desk, was covered in files and loose papers riddled with scribbles. The pushpin board, that for years just sat in blank despair, had papers and photographs attached to it. Strings connected newspaper clippings to photographs to sticky notes. Red, black, blue, green, yellow, just a rainbow of threads.<p>

His brain was fried. His patience and energy levels had switched over the past few days. He hated it. He hated how fucking obsessed he was about this case.

"Damn this woman," he spat, throwing the empty Starbucks cup into the trashcan.

His computer chimed. He moved the mouse and his heart began the thud. MESSAGE: MARISOL.

MARISOL...

He clicked on the message, nearly breaking the mouse. His blood was pumping.

HI, MICHEAL. NICE TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN. MISSED ME?

'You fucking bitch...' Micheal thought.

YOU MUST'VE BEEN EXPECTING ME. I SO WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR FACE, TO SEE THAT SEXY SMILE THAT I DREAM OF TURNED INTO THE MOST HEART-WRENCHING FROWN OF ANGER.

SO, ENOUGH WITH THE CATCHING UP. NOW TIME FOR BUSINESS.

A ceremonious file was attached to the message, a emoticon wink the topic. He double-clicked the file and watched the download size. 27 megabytes. Exact same size as the others. He watched the download bar count down the seconds until completion.

47...43...40...38...35...

Micheal didn't realize how hard a grip he had on the desk until the wood groaned and began to splinter.

22...19...16...13...11...9...7...4...2...

FILE DOWNLOADED.

'Fucking finally.' He opened the file and went straight to the video.

The scene was a classic. Hotel bedroom with no descriptive markers as to the kind of hotel. A man was unconscious on the bed, but he didn't appear to be in pain or distress.

The camera zoomed in on the face of the man, and stilled.

"Such a pretty face..." a voice said, though clearly computer-generated.

A figure came onto the screen. She was stark naked, hair pulled back into a messy bun. Her face was covered with a mask and her hands had surgical gloves. She straddled the unconscious figure and the camera angle changed.

The second shot, which displayed both naked people with such clarity, watched mechanically as she pulled out a needle and inserted it into his carotid vein. The body stirred.

"Uhh...shit...my head...," he groaned, raising a hand to his forehead.

"Welcome back, Jonathan," the woman purred. Micheal's heart skipped a beat. Marisol...

"W-who are...y-you? Ugh...damn, what happened?"

"Don't worry about any of that, handsome. I'm going to take good care of you." She gave a smile through her mask, rocking softly on the still dazed man.

One hand rose up, a box cutter grasped by the latex-covered digits. She slowly dragged the sharp edge over his cheek, but he just blinked in confusion.

Micheal watched as she carved a heart into the side of his face before slicing it at an angle. She went to down the chest in the classic coroner's "Y" cut, and still, no screaming. What drugs would he find in this victim's system?

The rest of the twenty-minute video consisted of the masked woman carving her victim and engaging in sex with him while the pain finally caught up with his nerves.

Marisol's hand movements were precise, even as she threw her head back in pure ecstasy as she rode her victim to what was most likely his last pleasurable experience.

When the ordeal was done, the video faded. Micheal clutched his desk. She had done it again.

She fucked and murdered another man. Same sliced heart M.O. Same video surveillance. Same everything!

"Fucking bitch!"

He shot out of his chair and stormed over the the panoramic wall, his cheeks flushed with anger. He hated her so much, and yet...His eyes trailed down to a dull pain at his crotch and another curse flew from his lips.

His phone rang by the desk, but he ignore it. It was Marisol. It was always Marisol, trying so hard to get caught, but not hard enough to let it actually happen.

He stared at the city below, watching people walk along the sidewalk below his office.

Why him? Why did she want him so hung up on her murder spree?

He threw his fist against the bullet-proof glass in anger. He would find her. He would finally conquer his obsession, face to face.

* * *

><p>Garrett lowered the book, his brow furrowing in thought. This had to be a message from Luna... nobody else around here read, and the book was in far too good condition to have been sitting out in the woods all this time. Was... was she comparing herself to this 'Marisol' character? A murderous monster with an obsession? And... was Michael supposed to be him? Stubborn and fixated, the woman of his dreams and the enemy his life has become about fighting with being one and the same?<p>

Shaking his head in puzzlement, Garrett snapped the book closed and walked back to his cave. Stuffing the book into his bag, Garrett picked up the travel sack and flung it over his shoulder, hefting his shotgun and looking out into the woods. The sensible part of his brain was screaming at him, telling him not to do what he was about to do. But when had he ever listened to that part of his brain?

Finally making up his mind, Garrett started down the slight slope, every nerve and muscle strained to the breaking point, gaze darting about through the trees. If Luna wasn't going to come talk to him, he was going to find her. And hell, walking into a darkened forest in which docile special infected soldiers were training still wasn't the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

* * *

><p>Luna stood on one of the highest branches of a tree, both hands at her side. Her claws were covered with a mixture of stored, warmed blood from old kills and fresher fluids from a few intruding Specials, to include two Boomers, a Hunter, and a Smoker. Her lungs were burning slightly, but that was good. It meant her endurance was up.<p>

She saw her last target, a moving dummy coming down the slope. She leapt into the next tree, the leaves barely rusting as she flew by. She was getting closer when she realized that it wasn't just a training dummy. It was a Immune. She froze in her tracks and watched curiously.

Her eyes adjusted to the slowly waning source of light, ears alert to her fellow Witches. She heard the soft creak of a branch a few meters away and closing in. But, she didn't want to move. Not yet. Not until she was sure.

Suddenly, the body tumbled and began careening down the slope, grunting as it went. A gun and bag followed suit. Luna jumped closer, following the shadowed mass as it came to a stop.

"Goddamn feet. Fucking slope..." A quick silent moment passed. "Ah gawd! Boomer shit!"

'Garrett?' Luna thought, moving to another branch. Her heart was thudding, but more with fear. Jen had to have sensed him already. He'd be torn to ribbons! She dropped to the floor a bit behind Garrett. She watched as he rose up, eyes ever watchful. For her? Or for the others?

"Garrett, I told you to get out of here," she hissed, though she was grateful he was alive and well.

He turned to her, his normally austere composure fleeing. He rushed at her, arms wide as if to embrace her, but he missed and she appeared behind him, the wind barely stirring. She was in the middle of something and now was not the time for reunion and explanation. Not when she had two days until her final exam.

"Luna, where have you been these last few days?" he asked, his voice hurt.

"Busy training. What the hell do you think you're doing down here?"

"Looking for you. I got your book." He bent down, grabbing his rucksack and rummaging through it. He pulled out her red book and handed it to her. "You left it for me, didn't you?"

Her face flushed. It must've fallen out of her pocket when she was running the perimeter. She took it and turned to the page where she had left off. She stuffed it back into her pocket. "No. It fell." She glanced over a part of the chapter, her training suddenly becoming second priority. "Thanks."

The was a close rustle and Luna's eyes sharpened into little slits. She pushed Garrett onto his back, placing a hand strategically over his mouth. Her countenance was eerie. She placed her face by the large man's ear.

"Don't make a sound."

The rustling stopped. "Luna, we're heading back," came from overhead in Jenevive's voice.

"I'll come in soon."

"Is that one of the dummies?"

"Yeah."

"Well, have fun with that one. Smells good. Smells alive."

"They get more realistic every time."

Jenevive hopped off back to the base through the trees. Luna raised her hand from Garrett's mouth and elbowed him hard in the gut. He coughed violently for a few seconds before finding his breath.

"What the fuck was that for?" he tried to shout, hacking at the strain he put on his sore chest.

"If they didn't hear you in pain, they'd think the mike went dead and come back." She rose from her position above him and helped him to his feet. "I should go."

Garrett grabbed her arm in a vice grip. "What? Just like that, we run into each other again, and now you're leaving again? Did I do something wrong? I mean, I'm sorry for any stupid shit I did that hurt you, but I didn't mean for it to."

Luna started into his softened eyes and her heart swelled. She couldn't stay, but she couldn't leave. She sighed.

"Garrett."

Her heart and brain froze as something met her mouth. Electricity shot up her spine like a rocket and she almost melted to the spot. He was kissing her...She didn't realize he had backed away or that her long legs felt made of jelly. The blood was rushing so fast in her body that her vision went back and she fell.

* * *

><p>Some protective reflex had Garrett lunging forward before Luna hit the ground, his powerful arms wrapping around her slim frame and halting her descent. Her skin was cool and smooth beneath his fingers, and he felt his heart rate accelerate a little bit at their proximity. Shaking himself, he adjusted his grip so he could carry the Witch, his gun, and his travel sack at the same time - not an easy task - and started back up the gradual slope towards the cave.<p>

When he got there, he laid Luna down on the softest patch of ground he could find, dropping his bag next to her and rooting around inside of it. He didn't find what he was looking for, so reluctantly slipped out of his jacket and draped it over the sleeping Witch, hoping to afford her some extra warmth. Rubbing at his bare arms - fall in Pennsylvania was cold this year - Garrett shouldered his shotgun and stepped out of the cave, looking around and trying to spy any nearby civilization through the trees. He was out of food, so he'd have to make a foray into the wilderness to find some more.

As it turned out, civilization - or a semblance of it - was relatively easy to find. No more than a mile to the north was a six-lane divided highway slashing through the woodland, a large multi-building rest stop sitting just off of it. All the windows had been boarded up, and Garrett saw a pickup truck sitting abandoned in the lot, a sickening trail of blood leading away from the open driver door. Apparently the owner had decided his fortifications were insufficient and tried to make a break for it. "Poor bastard," Garrett muttered, hopping down off of the slight embankment and into the parking lot.

Crossing the parking lot without incident, Garrett noticed that the front door was standing open - probably where the owner had fled from - and crept up to it, unhooking the flashlight from his belt and thumbing the power switch. Prowling inside, he flashed the wavering beam of sickly light around the store, illuminating half-empty shelves, drink coolers with their doors standing open, and a mess of spilled food and blood splattered across the floor.

Grimacing as he stepped over something that looked suspiciously like a severed finger, Garrett snatched up a plastic grocery bag from behind the counter, moving between the shelves and pulling off anything that looked nonperishable and relatively healthy. Pretzels, corn chips, cracker-and-cheese sandwiches, and a whole mess of other cheap, processed food was stuffed into his bag, and Garrett cast about for something to drink. His eye fell on a jumbo-sized bag of water purification tablets - the last one in the store, by the looks of it - and he snatched it up with a grin. Those would make his life so much easier.

Then something snarled in the store behind him, and Garrett whirled, holding his bag of loot and flashlight in one hand and his shotgun in the other. He almost sighed in relief when he spotted his attacker; just a common. The shotgun roared like a caged beast, and the entire store was briefly thrown into stark illumination as the big-bore weapon discharged, blasting the zombie backwards with half its chest missing. Stepping over the grisly corpse, Garrett turned back in the direction of his cave and started jogging.

When he got there, Luna was still asleep. Smiling a little to himself, he dropped his bag of scavenged food into his travel sack, shouldered his shotgun, and moved to stand guard by the cave entrance.

* * *

><p>Luna opened her golden orbs to a very bright light. She was sore and numb, and she couldn't remember why. Training...she was at the fields with Jenevive and Raven, since Stephany had a physical...she went back to the barracks...right? Took a shower? Went to sleep? For some odd reason, it didn't piece together in her head like it should have.<p>

A groan fell from her gray lips and something touched her arm. Her head turned towards the feeling on instinct, her claws ready to strike with a vengeance. The Master General was standing, looking down upon her with a straight face.

"Master..." Luna managed to mutter before her lungs started to burn.

"Luna, goodness, you're awake. We we're afraid that the procedure didn't work properly," the handsome man sighed, a small smile gracing his usually chisel-like features.

"Procedure?" she groaned, her throat sore. Her voice sounded funny. Raspy. Her throat felt strangely dry. "What...procedure?"

"It's complex when put into words. I'll try to give you a simple version. You failed your exam."

Luna's heart sank like a rock. She...she failed?

"I'm sorry for your failure Luna. As was made in the deal, we gave you ten days to excel, and you were right beneath the standard that we desire for Team Whiskey."

Another shuffling came from Luna's right and she turned to see Raven standing before her, a look of utter disgust painting her face.

Luna finally found her voice again. "Did...did I wake up during the termination?"

The Master General cleared his throat. "Sort of. After a long deliberation amongst the other people, we have decided of an...alternative."

Luna felt a stinging by her lower body. She tried to raise her head to see what was prodding at her, but a large hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You will see the results when it is done, child. Until then, a visitor has been brought."

Visitor? Bare feet walked along the floor and a bulky shadow shrouded her face. She squinted as her eyes adjusted. A familiar grip wrapped around her hand and squeezed reassuringly.

"Hey, Luna."

Her heart sprung alive. "G-Garrett?"

The ex-rocker nodded, smiling down at her. She was in such shock. What was he doing here? And why was that pain blooming in her thighs now?

"Master General, why is he here? He's an outsider."

"He's a very special guest for the procedure, however. He seems very fond and protective of you."

Luna's shy smile and blush flashed away as pain exploded from her center.

She screamed. "God, what are you doing to me?"

Garrett knelt down beside whatever surface she was lying on and he kissed her cheek comfortingly. "Don't worry, Luna."

Her nerves felt made of fire, ice ran through her veins, and she screamed like a typical Witch, her voice rising high above what Garret or the Master General would be able to hear. Raven winced at the frequency, calmly placing her palms against the side of her head as she watched her fellow Infected withering in pain

The pain lasted forever, for minutes, long hours, agonizing days. Soon, she found no breath to scream and cried, tears flowing down her face. Why wouldn't they tell her what was happening? Even after Raven went on a mission and the Master General returned to his troops, Garrett's hand rarely left her.

Her body went completely numb at one point, and she couldn't find rest, so she asked Garrett if he would sing to her.

"I haven't sung in months, Luna."

"For me?" she pleaded.

Garrett gave a dry chuckle but nodded. He began to sing.

"Broken bridges, rotten fields,/ Fourteen days of bloodshed yields,/ Nothing except a mounting death toll,/ Blood and bones and a desperate few lost souls."

Luna closed her eyes, taking in the words that forever touched her heart. Sleep wrapped a warm arm around her shoulder.

"Here I stand, beneath the sky,/ Watching the last planes screaming by,/The cities are empty, the cars are dead,/ The rivers all are tinged a blood-soaked red."

The words echoed around her, and her body, which begged for sleep, fought her mind, which begged her to awaken. She moaned softly, closing her eyes tight so everything around her would come into audible focus.

"The hour is fast drawing nigh,/ When all of us from low or high."

Luna blinked a few times as the ceiling, which before was nothing more than a blinding light, was smooth rock.

She moaned again, rubbing her hands on whatever was beneath her. It was smooth, and yet, rough. Her fingers curled into the surface and it clumped. Dirt.

"You're awake," a melodious voice called. A hot surface rubbed her cheek and she couldn't help but to lean into the touch. It was familiar. "I missed you, Luna."

* * *

><p>Garrett trailed his fingers across the drowsy Witch's cheek, smiling to himself as she leaned into it a little. "How are you feeling?" he asked, and Luna blinked a few times before responding. "Confused... I just had the weirdest dream."<p>

Garrett offered Luna his hand, which she took. It was hardly a strain to haul the Witch to her feet, with how light she was. She was still a little wobbly, however, and stumbled into him, catching herself with her hands on his chest. "Careful," Garrett said, taking a hold of her shoulder to try and steady her. As if only now aware of the lack of distance between the two of them, both Garrett and Luna glanced down, then Luna took a hasty step backwards, her cheeks flushing a light - and adorable, in Garrett's biased opinion - shade of pink.

Smiling amusingly, Garrett walked to his bag and seated himself beside it. "I got us some food," he said, holding up his stuffed grocery bag of loot. Peering inside, he said "You like Cheez-Os? Pizza Crisps?" Glancing up and taking in the look of stunned confusion on the Witch's face, he smiled wryly and said "Right. Never had 'em, have you? What shit do they feed you in that camp of yours, anyway?"

Luna shrugged. "Mostly meat. To 'keep us sharp', they say. I think it's something about the infection inside us that makes us crave it, and we're less effective if we don't get it." Garrett frowned. "That's not gonna be easy to find out here," he muttered, then withdrew a bag of pepperoni pizza flavored pretzel sandwiches, and tossed them to his companion. "Don't eat 'em all now," he said, watching in amusement as Luna attempted to figure out how to open the bag. "We need to start rationing our food - we might have to move out soon, and it'll be hard to find more out in the open."

"Move out?" Luna asked, looking up from the challenge of the bag. "But... my final exam..." Garrett tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Final exam? The hell are you talking about?" Luna gnawed on her lower lip in worry, the bag in her hands forgotten, and Garrett was about to say something else when she blurted "I'm below the standard for my team, and they gave me a week to shape up. If I fail the exam at the end of the week, they'll... terminate me."

Garrett's jaw went slack. "What?" he barked, a little louder than he meant to, causing Luna to flinch back slightly. "Those... motherfuckers! They'd kill you just for not being quite good enough? So help me God, if I get my hands on whatever dickbag runs that half-assed operation, I'll make him wish he'd-..." he broke off, realizing that he was ranting, and Luna was staring at him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he pulled out a bag of food for himself - cheddar-flavored Cheez-Os - and muttered "Sorry. Got a little carried away."

Heaving a sigh, Garrett leaned back into the wall, ripping the bag open and pulling out a handful of Cheez-Os. Tossing the processed food into his mouth, he chewed idly, savoring the cheesy taste. God, it had been too long since he'd eaten Cheez-Os. Glancing over at Luna, who'd finally managed to get her bag open, had experimentally speared one of the pretzel sandwiches on a claw and was now looking at it like a strange new life form, he smiled to himself. Maybe the apocalypse wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Luna didn't remember eating much, but she was sure that the pretzels argued with her...violently. She was dry-heaving downstream from where Garrett could gather water, her already empty stomach expelling air. She wanted to dip her head beneath the ice-cold current to alleviate the pulsating pain in her temple. Her palms, which rested along the bank, were curling into the mud.<p>

"No more pretzels for you," a mockingly scolding voice said from over her shoulder. A large hand rubbed small circles on her back, and the soothing gesture gave her something else to think about rather than the sick taste on her tongue. "How many did you eat again?"

"Just th-" Luna started, a rough cough ending her sentence. The sun was setting in the distance and she knew she shouldn't stay. "Garrett, I have to go. Soon."

Garrett's hand froze momentarily, but soon resumed their soothing motion. "You're too sick. You need to rest."

"I can rest at the barracks. If I don't go back, they'll think something's up and I can't let them find you."

"Lemme say it this way. You aren't going anywhere but back in the cave and to sleep, dammit. I think they'll live if you sleep out here for a night. Not like anything will come at you."

Luna's hand rested in the water a moment longer before she pushed up to her feet, surprisingly stable. Garrett jumped up after her, arms ready if she were to tumble back towards the ground. She began to move back down the slope and to the military compound. The large man's voice tried to reason with her, but she responded by prying his fingers from around her wrist and continuing down the slope. By the time she reached the clearing surrounding the compound, Garrett had grabbed her shoulder and spin her around. She threw off his shoulder and the world spun for a second, but she gave him a soft, helpless look.

"You need to stay here. At least until I pass my final. Then, I'll see about the Master General letting you stay with us...with me."

"I don't want you going back into that anarchist shithole. Not when they're gonna kill you because you aren't good enough. Besides, do you even LIKE it down there? Sounds like they treat you like—"

"They treat us well, train us for what we need to do. And right now, every second that I stay here with you, I risk both of our lives. Garrett," she sighed, slowly interlocking their fingers. She couldn't help but look down for a moment at their conjoined fingers and realize that, if she left, she may never truly find love. She started up again, "I have to go. I promise, if anything goes wrong, I'll come find you as soon as I can."

She pulled his hand from hers and began a light jog for the gate, scaling the metal feature. She gave one last glance at the edge of the clearing, where Garrett was most likely standing and watching her, before turning and going towards the barracks.

She walked down the corridors, almost oblivious to the lack of Special Infected and Immune workers. Her golden eyes glanced in the open doors and she saw nothing. Was there a meeting she was late for? She began a light jog, checking all of the closed rooms and even the locker room and gyms.

'Where is everyone?' she asked herself, moving back outside, looking for open gates or anything that would tell her where everyone was.

Suddenly, she heard a noise, like a screech. Her heart sank. It was one of the Smokers. She moved closer to the source of the noise when a round of rapid gunfire forced her to stop. Her heart stopped as a cloud of green smog rose to the sky and faded.

"Is that everyone, Raven?" an unfamiliar voice asked. It was smooth and icy, with no sign of emotion.

"No, Father. The sole survivor of our massacre hasn't been spotted in the compound since training this afternoon."

"Go find her, my child. I need to go have a word with your dear Master General."

Luna could hear her leader's footstep moving towards her. She curled into a corner and held her breath, hoping Garrett's scent wouldn't linger. Raven ran past and leapt over the gate, moving towards where the training grounds were. Luna knew she had to leave. Now!

She scrambled to her feet and ran for her room, grabbing her Emergency Bag before stuffing her books and CDs inside. She made sure she had all the clothing she would need before running for the kitchen. Luna couldn't believe what she had just overheard. Her leader...her teammate...her role model...betraying everyone. What was happening? Everything he had ever been told was a lie. Her testing, her final exam, her willingness to change to help her live another day, just to be terminated in the end. She fought back the tears as she barged into the kitchen, stepping over another body blindly.

She went about scouring for food and some health provisions that were kept in the cabinets and pantry in case of emergency. She grabbed a few MREs and went about throwing cans and nonperishable into the knapsack by the door. Pasta, cans of veggies and soups, beer. Maybe Garrett would like the alcohol. She filled her personal bag with beans, corn, spaghetti noodles, and bottles of water before zipping the bag and moving to find medical supplies and another bag for the extra supplies.

* * *

><p>Garrett leapt to his feet as the staccato bark of gunfire cut through the silence, adrenaline jolting him into instant action. Snatching up his shotgun and racking the slide, Garrett charged to the edge of his makeshift camp, staring out in the direction of the camp. He couldn't see anything through the trees, but he could smell the acrid, burning tang of gunsmoke blown on the wind. He wouldn't have thought anything of it - this was a military base, after all - if not for the choking cry that came directly before it. Something was wrong over there.<p>

Picking his way down the hill and managing not to trip and fall, Garrett slipped through the woods as quickly and quietly as he could, his heart hammering so loudly in his ears that he worried it would give him away. Silence had fallen over the woods again, but this was an eerie silence, pregnant with foreboding.

Then Garrett saw something through the trees. A flash of movement, skin pale against the darkened woodland. Not Luna. Ducking out from behind his cover, he moved from tree-to-tree, following behind the mysterious figure. Finally getting close enough, he spun out from behind his last piece of cover, leveling his shotgun at... empty air. "What the hell?" Garrett murmured, lowering the shotgun a fraction.

Then something hit him across the back. Pain exploded just below his right shoulder blade, and he pitched forward, managing to turn his fall into a roll and come up in a slightly lopsided fighter's crouch. He only had a mere second to size up his opponent, but that was enough. It wasn't Luna, but it was a Witch. She was wearing military garb, and looked every inch as polished, smooth and lethal as a razor blade.

The Witch lunged forward, and Garrett ducked out of the way, bringing his shotgun around and smashing the stock into the Witch's side, trying to overbalance her. She stumbled a little, but recovered surprisingly quickly, twisting around like a snake and lashing out with her razor talons. Garrett leapt backwards, but his shotgun was sliced cleanly in half.

Kicking out with a booted foot, Garrett scored a hit on the Witch's chin, the deadly woman's head snapping backwards from the force of the blow. Garrett brought his other foot around in a sweeping kick that took the Witch's legs out from under her, but his eyes widened in disbelief as she twisted in mid-air, landing on all fours and lunging for him almost instantly, her claws glinting dully in the moonlight.

Garrett rolled away, but fiery pain seared across his face, letting him know that he hadn't been quite fast enough. Turning onto his back, he cried out in surprise as the Witch appeared on top of him, faster than he thought possible. Acting on pure, reflexive instinct, Garrett brought both feet up, planting them in the Witch's gut and shoving with all his might. The Witch went soaring backwards, hitting a tree with enough force to crack the trunk, and Garrett scrabbled to his feet, turning and running for the camp. Hopefully he could find Luna before that other Witch caught up with him.

* * *

><p>Luna carried the two, distented bags over each shoulder and moved towards the Master General's office. Why she was going in that direction, she wish she knew. That voice, that tone filled with such antipathy, was surely going in the same direction, if not already there. So why in the world was she walking into the barrel of the gun that had just been used to brutally murder a comrade?<p>

Still, she ran into the main building and tried to remember the twists and turns that the Hunter had shown her the very first time she was called into his office. Somehow, even as the turns melded as they did before, she found her way back to those mahogany doors. A small gasp flew from her lips. What was once a towering entrance was scattered upon the floor in flinders and shards.

"Oh my god..." she breathed, stepping over the devastation to venture into the space. Other than the door, everything seemed in place: the large desk where he had sat behind when she was told of her possible termination, his expensive cabinet filled with liquids of varying colors, even his expensive bearskin rug. She ran a hand over the surface of the desk and found it cool to the touch...and wet. She raised her hand and sniffed it experimentally, the scent of iron strong on her palm. Her heart sank again. "Oh my god..."

There came a chirp from the computer. She stared at the back of the screen, fear setting in. Did he know she was in here? Would she be killed for entering without permission? The door was smashed to smithereens...

The chirp came again. She walked over and read the monitor, keeping her hands from the keys. DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. PLEASE REMOVE USB. USB? She glanced down and an orange light shined on her face. She squatted down. What was on this? Suddenly, there came a strained voice, what sounded like a pained yelp. She dropped to her knees, grateful that the large desk shielded her from immediate sighting.

"Let go of me, you heartless bastard!" echoed in the hall in the form of the Master General's voice. "You can't see those files! They're confidential."

"Stop your insolence, old man. You've been hiding that information from me for far too long," came the icy voice from outside.

Luna's heart began to pound violently in her ears. Could that drive stuck in the computer hold what this madman wants? She quietly unshouldered one bag and crawled out, ears wide open, and she snatched the small thumbdrive from the slot. Whatever was on here was confidential. It's not meant for this madman.

She slunk back into the corner and shoved the drive deep into the side pocket of one bag. Her ears picked up the sound of two types of shoes: expensive loafers that the Master General was very fond of wearing, and sneakers.

The two pairs of footwear moved towards the desk and she held her breath. There was a light shuffle. She could smell fresh gunpowder and blood. Silence grew, filling the air with heavy tension, before a loud POP rang through the room. The Master General gave a shrill cry and there was a thud as he fell to the floor.

"You idiot! Where's the fucking file?"

Heavy gasping and paint grunts came as a reply. Luna curled even tighter against her provisions as she listened for a response.

"It was on there. I swear."

"Cheated me in our childhood. Cheated me in college. Cheated me in love. Now you fucking cheat me in business. I'm tired of keeping you alive for so long. I should've killed you years ago."

The short burst of rapid gunfire made Luna cringe, but she bit her tongue. The thunk of the Master General's body made her flinch. The other voice sighed heavily.

"Now not only do I not have the information, but now I have to find another thumbdrive." They sighed again.

Luna waited for the person to leave and vanish down the hall before moving from her spot. Her bare feet sloshed in the blood and a shiver ran up her spine. Her Master's blood, poured on the floor. Then...who's blood did she touch earlier? It didn't matter. She had to get out, fast. The window!

She scurried to the thin structure and jimmied it open as quietly as the squeaky hinges would allow. First, the bags, then her own lithe body dropped a few feet to the floor. She hiked each container back onto her shoulders and ran for the gate nearest her, hoping to get to Garrett as quickly as possible without Raven finding her.

A crash against the fence and a familiar cry of pain made her freeze.

Garrett!

* * *

><p>Garrett spat a curse, slamming a fist into the cold metal links. The gate was closed. And locked. That would be his luck, wouldn't it? "Luna!" he yelled, gazing back over his shoulder as something whispered through the trees. "Garrett!" came the reply, and Garrett turned back towards the camp. "One of your friends is out here!" he yelled, and caught sight of Luna running towards him, a bag over each shoulder. Whatever she was about to say, however, was lost as a cold hand wrapped its clawed fingers around his head and smashed his face into the fence.<p>

Garrett's vision exploded in white pain as his nose broke from the impact, but he still managed to twist free somehow, ducking blindly beneath glinting talons that sliced off a few stray locks of his hair. Pulling back a fist, he gave the Witch his best right hook, snapping the lethal woman's head around from the force of the shattering blow. Garrett was once again stunned as the Witch pivoted gracefully, turning what would have been a stumble for anyone else into a full turn and coming back at him almost instantly, although with a trail of blood running from both corners of her mouth from where her lips had been shoved into her teeth.

"Luna!" Garrett called again, barely dodging out of the way as the Witch attacked again, her claws slicing through several links of the fence as Garrett stumbled aside, raising his hands in a boxing stance, blinking against the pain pulsing from his nose. The unfamiliar Witch made to charge again, but Luna crashed against the other side of the fence and started scaling it. Sparing her sister but a glance, the Witch lunged forward, slashing downward. Garrett managed to catch her wrist, and exerted every ounce of force he could into a crushing grip, feeling the bones in her arm grind and pop beneath his fingers. What would have been debilitating pain to any normal human - probably a fight-ender - was shrugged off with naught more than a strained expression and a pained grunt, and the Witch brought her other arm around. Garrett flinched backwards, but not fast enough, and two of the razor talons punched through his forearm, emerging from the other side slick with his blood.

Garrett stared down for a long moment at the bloody talons embedded in his arm, the pain taking a few moments to make its way to his shocked and stunned brain. Then he fell to his knees, his teeth drawing blood from his lip as he bit it to keep from screaming. His hand twitched spasmodically a few times, and he swore the Witch above him smiled as she raised her other hand to deliver the deathblow.

Then Luna leapt from the top of the fence, taking the other Witch in the side like a runaway train. Garrett yelped in pain as the Witch's claws were torn unceremoniously from his arm, and he clutched at the gaping wounds frantically, his mind reeling from the pain and the shock. Then he looked to his left, where the two Witches were writhing and struggling together in a deadly duel of flashing claws and glinting fangs. Setting his jaw, he hauled himself to his feet through sheer force of will, his unsteady hand fumbling at the clasp of the holster at his hip that held his Desert Eagle.

Luna's vision was swirling with red. She's never been so upset, so angry at the world, or just angry at her once strong leader. She stabbed her claws where the supersoldier's head had been moment's before, screaming in anger. She reared back, pulling her talons free and dodging the swipe meant for her ribcage.

"Raven!" she screamed, charging at the stronger Witch like a raged bull. She wrapped her hands around the waist of her opponent and ran her into the cut section of the fence. The sharp wires pierced flesh and Raven gave out a yell of pain.

"Luna, move!"

The younger Witch rolled out of the way and two shots fired. Raven screeched and crumpled to the ground, the grass turning red. Luna's heart and stomach lurched until Garrett's hand found her shoulder and shook her out if it.

"We need to move," Luna found herself saying, grabbing one bag and reaching for the other. Garrett beat her to it, hiking it over his good shoulder. She noticed his wounded arm and almost cried. "Garrett, what did she-."

"It doesn't matter. You said we need to move."

Luna nodded and they started for the cave. She could still see Raven's crumpled form, but she knew, deep in her heart, her leader was still alive, and would seek revenge. They made it up the slope after a while, Garrett crumpling into a heap on the dirt floor.

Luna nearly tore the zipper off one bag to dig inside, grabbing a tube of ointment, bandages, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. She laid them careful beside her injured friend. She wanted to stop the bleeding, but...

"It'll hurt," she warned.

"I know," Garrett seethed, curling and uncurling his good hand. "Just do it. I can take it."

The young Witch nodded and, using the edge of her hand, unscrewed the cap and emptied nearly a quarter of the bottle on the cuts. The rocker didn't scream, but he hissed. She spread cream over his wounds and wrapped them as best as she could.

She helped him sit up straight, rubbing his back. His head fell into the crook of her neck and her face grew warm with blush. They were safe, so now. And they were together, which was all that she really cared about. At some point between humming a lullaby and staring at the section of sky she could see, she fell asleep, curled against the larger body comfortably.


	4. Chapter 4

"How much farther is it to Greensville?" Garrett asked, his voice tight with pain. He would never admit it, but his wounded arm was bothering him. With all the disinfectant Luna had poured on it, there was no chance of it getting infected, but it still hurt like a son of a bitch, and rendered his left arm pretty much useless for the time being.

"If that road sign I saw a few minutes ago was to be trusted, no more than a mile," Luna replied from her position to his right and a little ahead of him. Glancing back at him, her eyes swimming with worry, she said "But we shouldn't try to get there right now. You need to rest - that arm must be killing you."

Garrett shook his head stubbornly, trudging on ahead. "We've wasted enough time already letting this bastard heal. At this rate, anyone left will have died of starvation by the time we get there."

He couldn't see her, but Garrett could hear Luna's light footsteps hurrying to catch up with him, could practically feel her gently reproving gaze as she said "Garrett, I can tell you're in pain. I know you're tough, but exertion is only going to make that arm worse. We need to rest."

Garrett heaved a sigh, then turned and put his good hand gently on Luna's shoulder. "Look, I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. But the last thing we need right now is more goddamn delays. The sooner we find more survivors, the sooner we can get this arm looked at by a proper doctor - or at least someone with more medical experience than we have."

Luna bit her lip in what Garrett thought was an incredibly cute gesture of worry - although that's the last thing he would have told her - but said nothing, merely giving a little nod. Garrett smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring fashion, clapped her lightly on the shoulder, then turned and started walking again.

"Hey, look, there's one we could take!" Luna said, pointing. Garrett followed her finger to a faded yellow four-door in relatively good condition sitting off on the shoulder of the road, its driver door standing open. "Hold on, let me go take a look," Garrett said, slipping his Desert Eagle from its holster and starting forward.

Upon reaching the car, he poked his head in and looked around. The backseat was splattered with blood and one of the back windows had been shattered, but other than that it looked practically untouched. There was even a half-full - but presumably flatter than Kansas - bottle of cola sitting in one of the cupholders.

"Looks good!" he called back over his shoulder, straightening. Luna hurried up to join him, and clambered into the car, ducking her head down beneath the steering wheel. The awkward position, with her head lower than her back, caused her shirt to slide halfway down - or up, depending on which way you looked at it - her stomach. "What the hell are you doing?" Garrett said, in no way staring at the six or eight inches of exposed skin around her midriff. No sir.

"Wait and see," came Luna's reply, a little muffled by the dashboard of the car she had her face under, and Garrett sighed, shifting uneasily and looking around. Whatever she was doing, he hoped she didn't take too long.

Luna slowly pulled her claws over the underside of the steering wheel, feeling three screws hiding the wires inside of the console. One was missing. Maybe someone else had tried...and been caught in the process? Or maybe it came undone on its own. She shuffled a bit to get into a better position and got her claws ready. She'd taken apart toy cars before. A real car couldn't be any much harder.

"What's taking so long, Luna? What are you doing?" Garrett's voice asked above her, turned away possibly to scout the area. She nudged the back of his pants with a foot.

"Patience. I'm not getting this done any faster every time you ask me that." She used the tip of one of her claws to try and unscrew the screw, but it didn't bulge much. She gave a huff. "Garrett, can you do me a favor and see if there's a screwdriver in the glovebox? My claws are too sharp to get good grip."

Luna watched at Garrett turned around and went to move for the other side of the car before she pipped up again. "Just lean over the driver's seat and check." She tried once again, just to make sure her fingers couldn't handle the task on their own. Sure, she could stab through the console, but then wires would be hanging down and that was just plain dangerous, even in a zombie apocalypse. One glance and Garrett had yet to move.

She heaved a sigh and slid out to look up at him. His face had turned a nice shade of red. Maybe the bloodloss was getting to him. She stood up and felt her shirt flutter back down over her tummy. With a final questioning look, she turned and leaned over the armrest, one knee on the driver's seat to steady herself. She picked the lock of the glovebox and popped it open, digging through the empty cigarette packages and tissues.

"There it is!" she said, finding a Philips screwdriver amidst all the mess. She backed out and lost her balance momentarily, backing into the rockstar's body. "Oh, sorry."

"S'okay," Garrett just about whispered, backing up from behind her. A sudden chill ran up her spine as he backed away, but she shook it off, heat painting her cheeks. She dived back under the steering wheel, hastily unscrewing the console. She placed all of the screws in one palm and placed them on the front seat. A brief shadow blocked her light as she shimmied off the cover.

"You know how to hotwire a car?"

"Well, I've read about it a few times." Luna went through the wires, knowing it couldn't be as simple as a red-wire-blue-wire situation. She finally found something that looked right and she peeled the coating off the wires a good few inches before snapping them with a small flick of her wrist. "How much gas is left in the tank?"

He leaned forward, placing his hand on the wheel to glance at the gauge. "Looks like half a tank, maybe?"

She twisted the wires together and went about looking for a third wire to strip. She shifted a bit, the hem of her skirt riding up, allowing the back of her thigh to come in contact with the hot metal. She found the third and stripped it, palms sweating a bit. Slowly, she touched with wires and the car sprang to life, roaring in the silence. She rearranged the wires so they wouldn't touch and end up killing the engine before reaching for the panel to replace it. She twisted the screws back into place and slid out of her spot.

After placing their bags of depleting supplies into the back seat, Luna scurried over to the passenger seat, her skirt catching on the gearshift momentarily before she rolled into the seat.

"Let's see you drive, Garrett."

Garrett glanced at the Witch as he reached over, grabbing at the door handle with his left hand. Pain blossomed in his forearm, and he gritted his teeth, muttering curses under his breath. Twisting awkwardly, he grabbed the door with his good hand and pulled it closed, before setting his good hand on the steering wheel and pressing on the accelerator.

Easing the car back onto the road, Garrett floored it once they were safely off the shoulder, the force of the acceleration thrusting him back into his seat. Luna gasped in surprise, apparently never having ridden in a fast-moving car before, and Garrett smiled a little to himself, reaching up and adjusting the rear-view mirror.

After a long silence, Luna asked "So, Garrett... where are we going, anyway?"

Garrett glanced over at her. "Cleveland, Ohio. My brother Kain's house."

"You have a brother?" Luna queried, tilting her head to the side interestedly. "What's he like?"

Garrett chuckled a little. "He's an asshole," he said, grinning a little. "But... he's a good man somewhere inside. Always has been, even if he never wanted to admit it."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Garrett!" Kain called, and Garrett glanced up from his desk, cluttered with pages upon pages of song lyrics and scribbled ideas for band logos. At nineteen, he already had enough muscle on him to stand out, but still had that awkward, gangly look of a man who hasn't quite finished growing yet.<p>

"S'up?" he said, dropping his pen and stretching. His 'big' brother - Kain was an inch shorter than him and much skinnier - stood in the doorway into the garage, leaning against the frame. He was wearing his hunting gear; fall camoflague, with a bright orange safety vest draped over one shoulder. "C'mon, stop writing that shit. You've been sitting in here writing all day - you need some sun," Kain said, reaching up to brush a lock of blonde hair out of his face. The 'pretty' brother, Kain had the kind of smooth, fair features that the ancient Greeks carved statues to immortalize, eyes the color of ice that seemed to shimmer with a light of their own, and hair so smooth and gold it was the envy of half the girls in town.

Walking down the few concrete steps into the garage, Kain draped his safety vest over the back of the spare chair, throwing himself into it. "Lemme see," he said, extending a hand. Garrett reluctantly handed over his latest song lyrics, and Kain read through them, smiling slightly. "'Taint of Gunsmoke? Dark as Night?' What is this shit?"

Garrett gave his brother a light-hearted punch in the shoulder, pushing himself up from the table. "That 'shit' is gonna make me famous one day," Garrett said, snatching the pages of lyrics back from Kain's hands. "Just you wait. One of these days, I'm gonna be going out for a few beers with David Draiman, and you're still gonna be lying on your belly in the dirt, waiting for unlucky deer."

Kain chuckled, standing up and giving his larger brother a clap on the shoulder. "If that day ever comes, I'm gonna be real sorry I never took up your offer of playing guitar. But for now, I'm the one having fun and you're the one sitting alone in your garage scribbling song lyrics on the back of receipts and the margins of books." Nodding towards the door, he said "Come on. I have enough gear to share. Let's go spend some quality 'brother' time."

* * *

><p>Luna nodded softly, twiddling her thumbs. That didn't sound much like an ass to her. But who was she to talk? She glanced at the radio and an idea came to mind. She undid her seatbelt and leaned over the armrest and reached at one bag. She pulled it back into her lap in her seat and went digging for contents at the bottom.<p>

"What are you looking for?" Garrett asked.

She found Storm of Lead's second CD, popping open the case and inserting the CD in the compartment. Music began to fill the cabin and she smiled at Garrett's almost stunned reaction.

"You really are a fan, aren't you?" Garrett asked, slowing down to take the off ramp into Greensville.

"I told you, Garrett. Oh, can we stop? I need to..." she paused mid-sentence, the embarrassment of her sudden issue painting her cheeks.

Garrett gave a smirk and pulled up to a gas station. He stalled the engine until it died. "Go on. I'm sure one's inside. Look for a staff restroom, thought. The public ones are shitty, literally."

"Uh, sure."

She opened the door and was about to slide out when Garrett grunted in pain and nearly spat out a curse. She quickly leaned over his waist and unlocked his door, pushing it open so he could slide out. She smiled as he looked into her eyes before her bladder tightened and she just about ran through the doors of the gas station, heading for the back. She finally found the bathroom and sighed with relief.

* * *

><p>Garrett blinked, watching Luna's retreating form. The blood loss must have been getting to his head - he felt sure that if the fair-skinned Witch had stayed leaning over him any longer, he would have kissed her.<p>

Shaking his head, he slid out of the car, stretching his legs. At his height, car seats become uncomfortable on the knees rather quickly. Rolling his shoulders, he walked around the front of the car to the gas pump he'd parked next to, staring down at it and frowning in thought. From what he remembered, the gas at this kind of pump only started flowing after you put your credit card in. And, this being an apocalypse, he didn't have a credit card anymore.

Frowning, he turned to look at the built-in convenience store, struck with an idea. Drawing his handgun, he carefully walked towards the doors. Picking his way over the shards of broken glass that littered the floor around the broken and twisted pieces of metal - what was left of the glass doors - he walked towards the counter, surreptitiously peering over it.

"Well goddamn. My plan's working," he muttered to himself, then awkwardly climbed over the counter, landing heavily on the far side. Crouching down beside the corpse of the employee who sat leaning against the back of the counter, Garrett fished around in the dead man's pockets, finally letting out an exclamation of triumph and extracting a leather wallet from the corpse's khaki pants. Muttering "Sorry about that," Garrett climbed back over the counter, holstering his pistol and flipping through the wallet.

Driver's license - apparently the man was named John Carpenter - a few membership cards in various stores' rewards programs, a couple five-dollar bills, and... "Jackpot," Garrett purred, drawing the credit card out. Pocketing the wallet, he walked back to the car, sliding the pilfered credit card into the slot and hitting a few buttons. Hefting the gas nozzle, he turned and flipped up their car's tank cover, stuffing the nozzle into the hole within and pulling the trigger mechanism. The familiar sound of gas pumping into the car greeted his ears, and he smiled, leaning against the trunk of the car.

Then he paused, frowning to himself. They hadn't seen any zombies out here. Not one. Where had they all gone? Looking around, he scanned the horizon for any clues, but couldn't find anything. Maybe they'd been attracted by something? Garrett knew from experience how focused these things could get - if they heard an alarm bell from a mile away, they'd charge towards it in anticipation of a meal.

Shrugging, he started humming to himself, smiling as he thought of Luna and her collection of Storm of Lead CDs. Call him egotistical, but he was a little comforted by the fact that even during an apocalypse, he still had at least one fan.

* * *

><p>Luna stepped out of the bathroom, wiping her hands on the sides of her skirt. She peered out of a window and watched Garrett staring at nothing, hose pumping fuel into the car. It seemed surreal all over again. She was on a trip with Garrett Everett. How many girls have dreamt of this moment? How many girls had to bribe and beg to sneak into clubs where he was partying or playing? And here she was, getting it all just about for free. She ran a hand through her platinum hair and realized that she was still staring.<p>

She broke her gaze and curled her fingers. Why was she so embarrassed? She glanced down at a few gas can and an idea came to mind. She gathered five and scurried outside into the chilled air. Garrett heard her and smiled as she approached.

"All finished?"

"Uh...yeah. Here. Found these inside. Maybe we can fill them up, in case we don't have luck to find another station."

Garrett reached over the hood to grab the red containers and their fingers brushed, Luna's claws tangled in the handles for a moment longer than she would've liked. She finally was able to break free, but the electricity in the air made her hair stand up on end.

She stepped back and opened the rear passenger door, pulling out both of the bags. She closed the door back and went around to where Garrett was standing, dropping her main bag to the concrete. She pulled out the second half-used roll of gauze and more salve.

"I need to change the wraps, Garrett. Before they cause you to get an infection." She grabbed at the arm with a tender yet firm grasp and tore the used wrappings with one careful claw. The bloodied gauze dropped to the ground. She opened the salve as quickly as she could before the air had a chance to get into the wound and took a scoop into her hand. Using her palms, she spread the soothing cream over his arm and quickly went about resealing the gashes.

"There we go," she said, the click of the gas flow stopping accentuating her point. She rubbed the wound tenderly and found herself moving closer and closer to the man, just about nose-to-nose with her crush and idol. She looked up into his dark eyes and could see the reflexion of her own orbs in his. "Thanks, Luna," Garrett said, one hand coming up and resting on her cheek. Her blush ran across her face, her breathing just about stopping at the proximity.

Whether it was his stomach or hers, she wasn't quite aware of, but one of them rumbled loud and she took the startling opportunity to back away and take a breath. She snatched up the bags and went about to gather provisions. Up and down the aisles she walked, throwing bags of chips and cans of Ravioli into the bags. She could hear something, maybe Garrett filling all of the cans.

Luna walked back out with a few semi-cold bottles of Sprite and two cans of ravioli. She handed one of each to Garrett over the car hood and pried open her own rather easily, stabbing a few pouches of meat with a claw. Garrett watched her out of the corner of his eye while he closed all of the red containers and stacked them in some sort of order.

"So," Luna asked, wiping her mouth with the edge of her hand, "what do we do from here?"

Wiping his hands on his already-stained jeans, Garrett twisted the top off the bottle of Sprite and took a long pull before speaking. "Now," he said, leaning back against the gas pump and tearing open his can of ravioli, "We make for Cleveland. We have a full tank of gas, we should be able to make it there without stopping as long as our provisions hold out. How much did you get?"

Luna glanced down at the supplies she had gathered, swallowed the ravioli in her mouth and said "Enough for two or three days, if we ration it."

"Perfect," Garrett said, unceremoniously tipping back the can of ravioli and scarfing most of it down. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, he continued "Shouldn't take more than six or eight hours of driving to get there from here, assuming we don't run into trouble. We'll have enough and then some."

Pushing himself off of the gas pump, Garrett gobbled up what remained of his ravioli and washed it down with the rest of his Sprite, chucked the empty containers over his shoulder and popped open the driver door of their car, climbing in. Luna climbed in after depositing their provisions in the backseat, and Garrett eased out of the gas station and onto the highway, flooring the gas pedal once he was safely on the road.

"So," Luna said after a long moment of uncomfortable silence, "You got any other family?"

Garrett shook his head without taking his eyes off the road. "Nope. Father was a cop, died in the line of duty. Friendly fire, of all things. Mother raised Kain and me by herself, but died of cancer several years ago." A small, sad smile graced his lips, and he added "At least she got to see my band once, back when we were still small. Barely more than a garage band."

Garrett fell silent, and the two drove in silence for a long while, both just staring out the windows at the passing scenery. Garrett heaved a sigh, glancing at the trees whizzing past by the side of the road. At least out here in the wilderness, they weren't confronted with as much evidence of the infection. There were no ruined army barricades, no corpses piled against walls or lying scattered through the streets. It was refreshing. Garrett just wished it would stay that way.

The hours crept by much slower than the scenery, leaving the pair the occasional topic of conversation. Even talking of the lack of Infected was only a few minutes long. She stared out of the window, her nails tapping along her thigh. What would she do now? The military was her life. It was her home. Her mother, her father, her closest friend. A small sigh escaped her pale lips.

The endless roads, scattered occasionally with bodies, felt familiar. Almost as if she's been down this road before. She tried to rack her brain for a scene in a book where a couple was on a road trip along a strangely deserted highway, but nothing came to mind. She hated the silence. She hated the tension. It was eating her skin like acid, making her fidget uncomfortably. She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs at her knees, trying not to curl into the seat and cry.

"Luna."

She snapped her head up from her stupor and looked over her shoulder at the driver, who's eyes were still trained on the empty road.

"Hmm?" she asked, her body relaxing at the sudden, hopefully lengthy change in traveling demeanor.

"Do you...remember?" Garrett asked, taking his eyes off the road to meet her gaze.

Luna sat in silence for a second, processing the question. Did she remember...what? She didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

He glanced back at her before facing the road. "Do you remember anything before...well..."

Her heart sank. Before the Infection. Before becoming a Witch. She's had dreams where she looked at someone in a mirror. Someone who moved with her and was just as fascinated by the strange creature on the other side. The doctors had said that it was only a phase, but it happened so many times that it couldn't have been an isolated incident.

It had to mean something. Something more.

"I think...I think I do. But...I'm not entirely sure," she finally whispered

Garrett peered forward at a possible roadblock and started to slow for the off-ramp. "Well...what do you think you remember?"

* * *

><p>The door slammed behind her and she finally screamed at the blooming pain in her ankle. The makeshift stake was broken off, jutting out of her ankle and causing her pain.<p>

With a shaky hand, she grabbed the spear head made of stone and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. One...two...THREE!

"OOWWWWW!" she screamed, ripping out the weapon and falling back to the dirty floor. Bloodied hands began to pound on the door and mouths filled with remains of faces and intestinal tracts screamed in return, determined to get at fresh meat.

She crawled into the bathroom of the unfortified apartment building and locked the door, making her way into the bathtub to die in peace. A spotty trail of blood marked her desperate travel, and tears began to blur her vision.

The next thing she could remember, she was numb all over and her leg was wrapped up. She rolled her eyes a few times and tried to place where she was. Instead of the cold linoleum where she had passed out, she was on a soft comforter, swaddled in warmth

There was a bottle of water and a few pills on the nightstand, situated on a note that read TAKE US. Would she be one to listen to an anonymous note? Still, she rolled over and popped the pills in her mouth, chasing them down with a swig of warm water.

Almost immediately, her stomach churned and she threw off the covers, stumbling to her feet and rushing for the bathroom across the room. She threw her face into the toilet bowl and wretched up the contents of her stomach. Oh, how much her head hurt. She waited until she was sure nothing else would rush up and out of her throat before rising to the sink and swishing a few scoopfuls of water in her mouth to wash away the acidic taste.

Finally, after a few minutes of staring down the sink, she looked up and froze. The mirror was cracked up higher, and the lighting wasn't very good, but it had very little effect on the image that faced her. She had short brown hair, cropped at her ears messily. Her eyes were just as brown, blending in with her black pupils.

Her skin was tan from constant sun exposure. She touched a scar on her neck and a voice startled her. "Welcome back, Luna.

"My name isn't Luna," she found her...reflection saying. She still couldn't believe it was her.

"Yes it is, child. It always has been." She turned to face the voice and could only see a shrouded visage. A large hand was extended. "Come with me."

Her arm raised without her thought and she placed her fingers along the palm. The larger digits curled around hers and pulled her into the light and warmth.

* * *

><p>"And that's all I can recall. I only have these things while I'm asleep, so I can't tell what's real and what's not."<p>

Garrett nodded and cut the engine in front of a hotel. "Guess we should head inside. The sun should be coming down soon."

Walking up to the reception desk, Garrett clambered over it and bent down, snatching up two room keys from under the desk. Straightening, he tossed one to Luna - who, after a moment of confused panic, caught it - and turned, heading towards the stairs. He'd gotten them rooms on the second floor, for extra security just in case infected showed up.

The door into the stairwell was barred from the other side, and Garrett grunted in frustration. He didn't want to do this, because it might attract any zombies in the area, but it was much safer off the ground, so he really had no choice.

Bringing a booted foot up, he slammed it into the door with all the force his powerful thigh could muster. The board snapped clean in half with one kick, and the door crashed inwards, shaking a cloud of dust from the ceiling. Casting an apologetic glance back over his shoulder at the affronted-looking Luna, Garrett stepped into the darkened stairwell, slipping his flashlight from his belt and flicking it on.

The dull circle of wan golden illumination flicked around as Garrett scanned the area for any threats. Finding none, he started up the stairs, which creaked and groaned beneath his weight. When he reached the door to the second floor, he pushed it open, stepping out into the hallway. Then he blinked in surprise, looking up and down the corridor. The lights were on.

How the hell did this place had power? It had been... hell, Garrett didn't even know how long it had been since the infection had struck. All the power stations had failed long ago, and everyone's private generators had run out of gas not long after that. Which meant that someone had to be alive around here... or, at least, had to have been alive not long ago.

"Careful," he whispered over his shoulder, starting forward down the hall towards their rooms. Turning his flashlight off and sliding it back into its proper place at his hip, he drew his gun, looking up and down the hallway. He didn't want any surprises.

They found the rooms relatively quickly, and Garrett unlocked his, stepping inside and flipping on the light switch. Light flooded the room, and Garrett smiled a little, his heart soaring. Little things like light, heat and running water might not have meant much back before the infection, but now... now they were like blessings from heaven.

Stripping off his jacket and shirt, he tossed them over the back of a chair, stretching and flexing his thickly-muscled arms to get the kinks of travel out. Stepping into the bathroom, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, running his hands through his greasy, uncombed hair. The infection had only improved his powerful physique, but had done nothing for his face or hair. Smeared with dirt, blood, and other substances that didn't bear thinking on, with his hair a tangled, horrific mess that clung to his neck like seaweed.

Grimacing, he undid his belt and kicked his jeans off. He was going to take a shower, and then he was going to sleep in a real bed for the first time in he didn't know how long. And he was going to love every minute of it.

* * *

><p>Garrett staggered backwards, stars exploding in his vision and pain blossoming outwards from his broken nose. Ducking out of the way of a second punch, he got his assailant in a crude armbar, twisting them around and throwing them to the ground. A booted foot smashed into his chin, and Garrett lurched back, clutching at his aching jaw.<p>

His attacker sat up, and Garrett's heart froze as he got a good look at his foe. It was none other than himself - or rather, the 'other' him from his dream. The Other-Garrett grinned, revealing pointed teeth, and purred "Hello again, Garrett. You didn't think you'd seen the last of me, did you?"

"Fuck you," Garrett snarled, dropping into a fighter's crouch. The Other-Garrett laughed, a bone-chilling sound that sent shivers up Garrett's spine. "Please," the Other-Garrett drawled, lackadaisically getting to its feet, "You can't fight me. I'm you, remember? Just the side of you that you'd rather not remember."

Then someone screamed, and Garrett looked around for the source of the sound. It was hauntingly familiar... if only he could place that voice...

The Other-Garrett grinned. "Sounds like sleepy-time's over, big boy. You'd better go, if you don't want your pretty little friend to end up redecorating her hotel room a lovely shade of red. Don't worry... I'm not going anywhere." The scream came again, louder this time...

* * *

><p>...and Garrett jerked upright in bed, lurching up and forwards in the same motion, grabbing his gun of the bedside table and rolling out of bed in the same motion. Powered by fear and adrenaline, he charged to the door that separated his room and Luna's and slammed into it in a running shoulder tackle. The latch broke, the door banging inwards and Garrett stumbling in after it. The sight that met his eyes wrapped icy fingers around his heart.<p>

Luna was lying on the bed, dressed in nothing but her undergarments, with a hideous beast straddling her. It looked like the bastard offspring of a hunter and a spitter, hunched over and with the kind of thin, razorblade strength that you only see in martial artists or rapiers. Its claws were a little longer than a hunter's, glimmering in the moonlight, and Garrett felt sure that its face was going to haunt his nightmares for a long time. Its jaw was horribly distended, much like a spitter's, with acidic goo dribbling from the cracks beneath its razor fangs. Its nose was gone, torn off and leaving nothing left but an old scar, and its eyes were blood-red and burned with animalistic rage.

Raising his gun, Garrett barked "Luna! Off the bed! Now!"

The witch complied, rolling to the side as the beast's claws flashed down, vivisecting her pillow. Luna hit the floor and started scrabbling away, and Garrett squeezed the trigger. His large handgun roared, and the beast lurched backwards, blood exploding from its shoulder. Its head whipped around to stare at this new target, and Garrett fired again, taking the foul thing in the middle of its forehead. Pitching backwards, the creature fell off the bed and disappeared from view, although Garrett could hear hissing and bubbling as its acidic goo ate away at the floor.

Garrett leaned against the wall, breathing hard, and when he looked down he noticed that Luna was staring at him. Fixedly. A crimson stain was spreading across her cheeks, and when Garrett looked down he realized he was wearing nothing but his rather worn black briefs, which left not a whole lot to the imagination. Heaving a sigh, he reached down and hauled Luna to her feet, turning her until she pointed towards his room and giving her a gentle nudge. "Come on," he grunted, "I don't want another incident like this. You're sleeping with me." When she cast him a furtive glance somewhere between horror, embarrassment and nervous excitement, he rolled his eyes and amended "Next to me."

* * *

><p>Luna's eyes shot open, her body trembling from the nightmare. She still couldn't get the morbid image out of her mind. A monster with the agility of a Hunter and the stomach content of a Spitter. She tried to remember what caused her carelessness, but nothing valid came to mind. She was trained to always be alert. To always be aware. What if she hadn't screamed as loud as she did? What if that...thing hadn't stood over her, slack-jawed and fixated on her eyes? She remembers that she couldn't look away, that she couldn't break the gaze with the empty eye sockets that followed her no matter what direction she turned.<p>

The Witch eventually rolled over and a squeal flew from her lips as she pushed herself back away from the breathing form facing her. Her back hit the wall not even a good six inches behind her and she stared at the figure.

Black hair, slick with water with a scent that lingered in the air. A clean, yet unshaven, face seemingly at peace with itself. Her claws, which she had wrapped around her knees, uncurled from around her form and one fell on the visage before her. She left a feathery touch as she glided her digit across his face.

"Garrett?" she whispered, her heart suddenly thudding.

The body stirred and the eyes opened, pupils quick to adjust to the lighting. He yawned, pulling his muscular arms from under the sheets to stretch.

He blinked a few times in her direction before realizing what he was seeing. "L-Luna? What are you do-"

He cut himself off and tore himself from the bed, quick to grab his pants and throw them on hastily.

"You don't remember last night?" Luna inquired, pulling the covers to the side so that she could stand beside her savior.

Garrett muttered, "I remember," but didn't make eye contact. He grabbed his shirt and jacket and went to the door. "Go get dressed. We're leaving. Now."

Luna scrambled back into her room, trying hard not to look at the remnants of the corpse that lay in her room. She stepped into her skirt and zipped it in the back, finding her shirt and pulling it over her head. A pair of suitcases were unzipped in one corner and she ventured a peek inside. Ammunition. Weapons. Clothing. "Garrett, think I found us some supplies!"

The rocker stepped in, his face a mask of stone, and he took a peak himself. She saw him toss some of the work shirts to the side before zipping the first bag and taking a peak in the second. Mainly, there were books. Some health products, but otherwise, nothing of use.

"You want this stuff, Luna? I know you love to read and all that..."

"Uh, sure." Luna walked back over and placed the work shirts inside the secondary bag, sure that they would provide her with something to wear if she ever needed it. They each grabbed a suitcase and a bag and trudged back down the stairs, alert for any unexpected company, before making it back outside to where the car still stayed. Luna took ten minutes to make sure that the connection was still strong with the battery before they took off back for the highway and his brother's house. Curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to know so much about the older Everett, questions were flooding her mind.

"Tell me about him, Garrett."

"Who? My brother?"

"Yeah. You said he was an ass. Tell me why."

Garrett sighed and took a turn to avoid a Common who was wandering on the eight-lane road. "Rather not."

"Okay. What do you think that...thing was?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"Hell if I know. Never seen anything like it before."

Luna swallowed hard. She'd heard of other Infected. Other Specials in other regions, but...

"Think the military has anything to do with it?"

"Doesn't look like something they would do. But what the hell do I know? Could be a failure. Could be a deranged success."

Luna nodded. She's seen things like that with her comrades back at the base. Maybe they would run into the ARMY again. A cold shiver ran up her spine. Raven...she could feel it in her blood. The elder Witch was still alive. The thought made her antsy, and she couldn't help but to look into the backseat, as if she would see something. Nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye, so she turned back around.

"Looking for someone?" Garrett asked, glancing back himself in the rear view.

"Hope to God not. Let's just get to your brother's. I'll feel better when we're in a fortified house."

Garrett sat in the car for a long time after they stopped, listening as the bass growl of the engine slowly died away. Now that they were here... he wasn't sure he wanted to go through with this. He and Kain had parted on... not so great terms, and re-opening that wound was sure to cause quite a bit of friction.

"Garrett?" Luna asked from the seat next to him, causing him to glance over at her. "Are we gonna go or what?"

Heaving a sigh, Garrett mustered his courage, and said "Yeah. Yeah, we are." Opening the door, he hopped out, retrieving his sack from the backseat and throwing it over one shoulder. Closing the door, he turned and looked around, drinking in the familiar sights.

Cleveland, Ohio. His hometown. "Y'know," Garrett mused, standing in the middle of the street and staring around at the desolation all about him, "I had a lot of firsts in this town. First band concert, first kiss, first autograph I signed for someone, first drink of alcohol, first fuck, first driving ticket, first jail sentence... fuck, I don't think I had a single first outside this town!" Pausing, he added "Well, except for first zombie kill."

When Luna made no reply, he took a deep breath and started forward. Their old family house was right at the end of the road, and as Garrett drew near he whistled in appreciation. Somebody - probably Kain - had turned their home into a goddamn bunker; crude wooden barricades had been erected all around the property, the downstairs windows had been boarded up and covered with tarps, the upstairs windows had been turned into firing slits, and there was concertina wire everywhere. The front yard was a mess of gore and bodies, and Garrett picked his way carefully through them, walking up to the front door.

"How the hell are you supposed to do this kind of thing in a fucking zombie apocalypse?" Garrett muttered, then sighed. "Ah, to hell with it." Reaching up with one large fist, he rapped on the door three times.

For a long time, there was silence. So long, in fact, that Garrett worried Kain wasn't even in there, and considered leaving. Then, so abruptly that Garrett flinched backwards a little, the door swung open.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Kain Everett. A good four inches shorter than his brother and much thinner than the musclebound rockstar, Kain still managed to dominate the small gathering through sheer charisma and physical presence. There was an air about him that few people have, an air of calm, suave surety the kind of which is normally only seen in master con artists or members of royalty.

Garrett's eyes tracked up Kain's torso, the thin but toned surfer body beneath the white wifebeater and camo-pattern jacket, the hunting rifle slung over one shoulder, to the all-too-familiar face. He had never lost the smoothness of youth, his features still looking like a Greek statue of Hermes, save for a single new scar. Running from his forehead to the left side of his mouth, it had barely missed one eye, but the mostly-healed pink line somehow only accentuated his good looks, a counterpoint to the otherwise flawless complexion.

Kain was idly chewing a stick of gum, but his jaw paused mid-chew as his eyes fell on his guests. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he reached up, brushing a lock of his long, straw-blonde hair out of his face - a nervous tic that Garrett knew very well. For several long seconds, awkward silence dominated the scene, and then Kain said, voice barely above a whisper, "...Garrett?"

Garrett managed a slight smile. "Hello, brother."

* * *

><p>Sydney Brooklyn ran her perfectly painted nails though her wet blonde hair and gave the full-length mirror a kiss.<p>

"Every day, just as beautiful as Eris the goddess," she purred to herself, ignoring the loose towel around her large assets. If it fell, she wouldn't bother to pull it back up to cover herself. Not as if Kain was bothered by her racetrack figure. She loved jumping him in the nude, because it meant she wanted to fuck and she wanted to fuck now.

"Kain, baby doll," she called through the house, her towel sinking lower and lower down the curvature of her breasts, "where's my sexy man?"

Suddenly, there came a loud knock. She sighed in anger and gave a grumble. Dammit, she was determined to ride him on the couch with her young body. Maybe once they shoo away these pesky survivors. She could hear the door open, but not the rapid-fire of Kain's speech as he would tell the intruders off.

"Who is it, baby?" she asked, stepping into the upstairs hall. She thought better on just walking into the open in a damp towel, so she draped her satin robe over her shoulders, tying it at her twenty-inch waistline.

She went to the staircase and froze, blue eyes wide. Well well well. Look what the dog dragged in. A sly smile grew on her beautiful face and she sauntered down the stairs, one hand constantly on the banister.

"Garrett! Long time no see!" she said with faux joy, wrapping her arms around her ex and pulling him in for a long hug, grinding her nipples against his chest. "I see you haven't changed much. Still bringing home animals, I see," she sneered, darting her eyes at the shy creature behind him. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Garrett finally was able to break away, a deep frown on his face. "Hello, Sydney. I see you haven't changed much either." He looked over his shoulder and reached a hand around to lead his guest into the light.

Sydney almost couldn't contain her reaction. It was one of THEM! Those MONSTERS! She didn't know where to call the rocker a stupid fuck or to laugh in his goddamn face. Instead, she went over to her beau and clung to him as if he would leave. Her blue eyes ran down the tamed crystal locks and the fair skin down to the blood-stained claws. Garrett found himself a real piece of shit, and from the way she was behaving, all shy and whatnot, she wasn't going to be much of a threat.

Garrett began to speak, but Sydney cut him off. "Sydney Brooklyn-Everett. Nice to meet you..."

"L-Luna," the monster mumbled shyly, retreating behind the meat wall.

"Isn't she adorable?" Sydney cooed, nuzzling the side of Kain's face. "Aren't you going to invite them in, baby doll?"

Kain nodded, and the Immune pair took three steps back, giving the brother and his...pet room to walk in. Sydney's eyes followed the other woman with interest. Wonder where he found this one. She went to the front door and closed it behind her, turning back with a smile.

"What have you been up to, Garrett? I want to hear ALL about it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Supersticious-People-Overanalyze-Everything-They-See Day! Or, for the regular people, Friday the 13th.**

**So, Jalos and I are happy with all the people who loved it and our only anonymous reviewer (Fantasmala) who gave creative criticism. Take a bow, you all. n_n**

**WARNING: This chapter contains hints at smutty goodness that will continue to build until it explodes into a bunch of rumpled bedsheets. Or an ice cream sundae. n_n Make sure that you all have your helmets on. We are not going to be held responsible for spontaneous facedesking. Make sure to keep your seat belts tight. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!**

**Greetings, everyone! Jalos here. You just heard from my co-host Inki, and now I would like to express my gratitude towards all you lovely people who reviewed our story! Keep being awesome.**

**Anyway. You're probably impatient to get to the story, so I'll let you go without any further ado. Enjoy, and be sure to keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the vehicle at all times!**

* * *

><p>Luna's grip on the rocker's arm remained firm as he lead her inside. She let her eyes gloss over the expensive furniture and cherished belongings, a complete and utter contrast to the outside world. The woman, Sydney, continued to dissect her with her big blue eyes and the Witchy woman wanted to curl into a hole and die per the orbs' request.<p>

Instead, she took a seat next to Garrett on a plush red couch. Garrett's brother and the Greek Goddess shared a love seat, her face nuzzling the side of his neck constantly. She started off the question round, unaware that her robe was inches away from revealing her upper thigh.

"So, how have you been, Garrett? How's life been treating you?"

Garrett muttered angrily under his breath, "Fucking bitch."

Luna squeezed his hand and his tension faded, but was still there enough to hang in the air.

He replied with one word: "Hell."

Sydney nodded, running her fingers through the hair of her lover.

"Well, that's just pitiful. Kain here has been nothing but successful, not a drunkard who drones into a mike every now and again," she purred, readjusting her position so her robe was pushed even higher up her thigh.

Garrett slammed his hand down on the glass of a table and the fixture shattered, shards flying about the hardwood. "Don't talk about me like you know me, you lying whore." Kain sat up straighter, a frown fixed on his face. The rocker pushed off the couch with a grunt. "I don't need to hear this shit from you. Come on, Luna. We're leaving."

The Witch flew to her feet, terrified by the sudden display of anger. She grabbed her bag and was only a few steps behind her companion when there came a strong "Wait" from the chair.

She looked back and could see Kain's eyes looking at her rather than his brother. Her heart skipped a beat as this Adois-like hunter bade her to stay. Garrett stepped before her, blocking her path.

"What do you want?" the rocker spat, anger boiling.

Kain whispered something to Sydney, who gave a cheery (and terrifying) "Okie dokie!" and shot from her spot, rushing towards the Witch with a hand outstretched.

"Come on, girly. You and I are gonna have some Girl Time. You look like you need it, honey."

With that, the gorgeous Immune dragged the startled Witch away from her safe haven and up the stairs, leaving the two men alone in the living room. Luna wanted to call out to her friend, but soon she was trapped in a room with the monster known as Sydney.

* * *

><p>Garrett watched helplessly as Luna was dragged upstairs, half-raising a hand in an abortive gesture towards the retreating infected. But then the woman's slim figure disappeared, and Garrett swallowed, turning to look as his elder brother pushed himself up from the sofa.<p>

"It's been a while, Garrett," Kain said, and Garrett grunted. "You got anything to drink in here?" the big rocker asked, and Kain chuckled. "Of course. Just through there."

Garrett followed his brother's pointing finger, and stomped off through the indicated door, coming into a small kitchen area. Moving to the fridge, Garrett tore it open and rummaged around inside. Most of Kain's stock was wine, which Garrett found on the whole to by 'overpriced fancy-ass pisswater' - to quote him directly - but, thank God, he had a bottle of Jack Daniels stashed in the back.

Grabbing it, Garrett extracted it, closed the fridge, and popped the top off with his teeth. Not bothering to get a glass, Garrett took a hearty swig straight from the bottle, and was about to go for a second when Kain's voice sounded from behind him. "You never came back. I was waiting for you, after the whole drug fiasco with your band. I thought you were going to come back to be a part of the family again. But you never did. Too damn proud to ask for help when you needed it."

There was silence in the kitchen for a long, long time. Then, without turning around, Garrett growled "Why are you living with her, Kain?"

Kain shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

Whirling, a furious light burning behind his eyes, Garrett snarled "Don't play with me, brother! That... that bitch upstairs ruined my life! She pretended to love me so she could get a few good fucks in with her idol, then when I got serious she dumped me by the side of the road! You have any idea how goddamn hard it is to mend a broken heart while on tour! No amount of cheering fans, five-star hotels and loose women could fix that!"

Kain didn't blanch from the angry giant. "You so want to blame her for all the problems in your life, don't you?" he said, surprisingly calmly. "Take a step back and look at the big picture. She was a fan, nothing more. All she wanted was some time with her idol, like you said, but you were too oblivious to see it. You were the one who brought love into the relationship, not her."

"Fuck no!" Garrett snapped, then took a hearty swig of whisky to bolster himself. "Do you know what that whore said to me on our first 'date'? She said," - Garrett changed his voice to a falsetto, doing a horrible imitation of Sydney's cheerful drawl - "Oh Garrett, at first I saw you as just a rock star, and loved you for your music... now I love you for who you are, too!"

"That was a lie!" Garrett was shouting now, all of his pent-up rage bursting forth like water from a breached dam. "That bitch never loved me; not for a second! But she pretended she did! She pretended and lied all the way through our relationship just to get in my pants! And when I found out what she did and broke up with her, she took it out on my band! She didn't tell you that she used to be our number one fan, did she!"

"Shut up, little brother, before you dig yourself even deeper into your own grave," Kain grated out through clenched teeth, and Garrett turned away, tipping back the whiskey and draining the rest of the amber fluid before smashing the empty bottle in the sink. "Make me," he snarled back over his shoulder.

"I'd be glad to," Kain replied, and shrugged off his jacket.

* * *

><p>Sydney fought with the rat's nest of a mane this creature bore. She dragged a wide-toothed comb through the crystal locks, ignoring the pained squeals of this killer who had fallen into Garrett's charm.<p>

"So, you're one of them," she began, tugging on a difficult knot.

Luna didn't reply with anything more than a yelp. Sydney couldn't help feeling pitiful for this lithe creature. She looked like she could've been pretty as a human, though nowhere near as gorgeous as she, of course.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Sydney tried again, easing up so this pretty girl would try to talk. Oh, how she was hoping that the creature before her was willing to spill all of Garrett's newest dirty little secrets.

Maybe...

Sydney started to hum a few bars of the band's songs that were forever stuck in her head and Luna perked right up, joining in with words. She let a sly smile crawl over her plump lips at the girl's voice.

"You must be a fan of Garrett and his band."

"Uh huh," Luna muttered, suddenly shy about her lyrical outburst.

"You know, I used to date him."

"Oh?" Luna asked, leaning her head back so Sydney wouldn't have to break her neck untangling the knots. "What happened?"

Sydney ran her fingers through the freed locks. "I dumped his no talent ass."

Luna tensed right up and turned in her spot, golden eyes boring into blue. Sydney found herself jealous of such a sharp color. How suddenly she wished she could steal this creature's eyes for herself. "Garrett's a genius. His music is-"

"Drunk trash. Luna, sweetie, you're still so young. But don't get too attached. He's not worth the trouble."

"What do you mean?" the creature asked, nails curled against her ankles.

Sydney went about brushing her own hair atop her balcony bed, letting the question sit for a moment. "He's not really in love with you, you know. He does this with all his fans. Plays hard to get, and then actually starts to fall for them. Gives the girls rings and jewels and free backstage access to his dressing room. Suddenly, you're left at a truck stop, fucked out of your skull and weak in the knees."

She placed down the brushes and finally shrugged her silk robe off, not at all shy of being naked in front of this thing. When the golden eyes went about tracing her frame, she couldn't help but smile and go about helping the other girl out of her clothing, if to do nothing more than compare physiques. She continued to rant.

"That ass downstairs almost did the same with me, only I caught on and dropped him at the side of the road, kicked him out of the car he bought for me. After that, the next few months were paradise. All the groupies still thought we were solid, so I sold them bootlegs of CDs that weren't going out to market for months. One time, I was really bored and had saved a full condom from one of our more adventurous fucks backstage and some crazy bitch on eBay bought it off of me for $52,300. I mean, holy shit! From what I heard, she tried to shove the shit up her cooch and they were all duds. Or maybe dead. Hell if I knew and hell if I cared."

The gray woman placed a hand upon her manicured ones to try and halt her exploration, but she smacked it away and went about unzipping the skirt at the side, yanking it down by her ankles as fast as she could. The more skin that was revealed to her, the more she saw bruises and scars and she felt so much more superior to this girl.

"But, one of his lawyers started pestering me with all this shit about fraud and Kain came to my rescue like a knight in shining armor. Imagine my surprise when this blond stud told me he was Garrett's older brother. I thought I could do the same thing, only Kain was more down to earth, and had money practically shooting out of his ass. So, after a one-night stand, I decided to stay, just to see what I could do, and I actually fell in love with the guy. He proposed just before your kind came out of the ground." Sydney thrust her left hand under Luna's nose, the rock perched upon her finger. "Mrs. Sydney Everett. Such a nice ring to it, don't you agree, sweetie?"

Luna had been sitting silent, now bared and trying to cover herself. Sydney smacked her claws at her side and compared. Breasts: too small. Waist: too big. Arms: too muscled. What did Garrett see in this ugly thing? She had to ask this next question, and she smiled at all of the possible answers.

"Has he fucked you yet?"

Luna's face flushed with absolute horror at the direct question and she shook her head rapidly, hair flipping around her face like wildfire. "No no no no no."

"Why not?" Luna froze, mouth opened in a silent reply, and Sydney shrugged. "I'm shocked at him. He's losing his touch. But, then again, I don't blame him. Even his dumb dick knows better than to salute an ugly heartless piece of zombie crap like you."

Suddenly, the princess was thrown forward and her face slammed against the vanity's counter, pain exploding from her nose. She let loose a shrill scream and fell back towards her bed, trying not to clutch at the pained area. Her blue eyes narrowed into slits at the gray girl, who was redressing herself.

"You bitch!" Sydney screamed, face red and pulsing with pain. "You almost broke my fucking nose!"

Luna glared at the Immune, words dripping with venom. "Don't you ever talk about me like that. Don't you ever talk about Garrett like that again," she seethed, nails clicking in anger.

"What the fuck you gonna do, huh?" Sydney spat, grabbing her robe and tying it around her middle again. "You hurt me, and Kain will put three bullet holes down the front of your shitty face. Actually, that doesn't sound half bad. Might be an improvement."

Luna screamed and charged, swinging her left hand in a sharp, angry arch at the Immune's heart.

* * *

><p>Kain Everett tossed his jacket carelessly into the next room, flexing his arms to loosen up and sizing up his brother. If he had been thinking clearly, he never would have challenged Garrett; his 'little' brother had a full six inches of height and a hundred pounds of muscle on him, and under ordinary circumstances calling the fight fair would have been laughable.<p>

Fortunately for Kain, these were not ordinary circumstances. Garrett had been given the shorter end of the stick in the apocalypse, and had probably been on the road for the past several days, which would have left him hungry, tired and sore. Not to mention the bloody rags wrapped around his left forearm, implying an injury. Add on to that the fact that he was blind with rage and had just downed an entire bottle of whiskey... and things were looking up.

Still, Kain swallowed nervously as Garrett shrugged off his leather jacket, dropping the garment on the counter and cracking the knuckles in his large hands. The big rocker looked like a Viking berserker, standing there with his long hair sticking in sweaty tangles to his face, the light of battle in his eyes, and the waxen yellow glow of the kitchen light glimmering off his sweat-slick, heavily-tattooed muscles.

With a yell, Garrett charged. Kain ducked out of the way of his first blow, grabbing the wrist as it passed by and jerking on it, overbalancing the big man. Kain helped him along the way with a hand on his back, and Garrett smashed into the wall, rebounding with a startled oath, blood oozing from one corner of his mouth. Whirling like an enraged lion, Garrett swung left, and it was only when Kain moved to block it that he realized it had been a feint.

One of Garrett's large fists connected with his jaw, and stars exploded in Kain's vision. Next thing he knew, Kain was lying on his back, a good seven or eight feet from where he'd been standing earlier, his jaw throbbing in time with his heartbeat. A shadow loomed over him, and suddenly he was being lifted into the air, one of Garrett's hands gripping his collar, the corded muscles in the rock star's arm bunching and standing out like ripe melons as he held Kain aloft with one arm. Kain, his booted feet dangling a good eight inches off the floor, realized the gravity of his mistake in challenging his goliath of a brother to a fight, struggling feebly in the rocker's iron grip.

Then he was airborne, and for a moment time seemed to slow, and he found himself idly hoping that he didn't hit anything with his face. He managed to curl into a defensive ball before he hit, arms shielding his face and knees pulled up to his chest. Then pain exploded in his lower back, and with a crashing that sounded to him like the end of the world, something collapsed around him. Books? Had he hit a bookshelf? Then something large and solid impacted the back of his head, and his vision exploded into darkness.

* * *

><p>Luna's vision was filled with heat signatures. She could barely make out the outlines of Garrett and Kain downstairs, but this soulless harpy before her was bright as the sun. The Witch jabbed her claws out and she watched as fluffy, golden tresses flowed through her digits. She didn't realize how fast the Immune was until her hand had gone through the wooden, engraved headboard, claws jammed into the surface. She turned to the Immune woman, whose mouth was agape.<p>

"BITCH! That cost more than your LIFE!" Sydney screamed from the other side of the bed. She reached underneath her bed, drawing forth a large, glistening sword. The blonde woman raised the weapon and brought it down angrily, aiming for the Witch's neck.

Luna yanked herself back and freed her claws, which were caught by the blade. Dull pain bloomed from the first two fingers on her left hand and her right thumb. She glanced down after she had rolled clear of danger. The cuts were deep and stung lightly, but she shook it off and turned back at her lucky victim, red pulsating around her.

"Stay away from me!" Sydney warned, raising her weapon without any assurance.

The Witch leapt forward like a Hunter, nails determined to send her victim to Hell on a one-way pass. She connected and felt the back of the princess' head smash against a picture of a wedding dress on the wall. The condescending blue eyes didn't look at her straight and Luna pulled the blonde forward and back, smashing her against the broken glass again while her claws dug into her shoulders. Sydney grunted and Luna felt the Immune's left arm move. Finally, a sharp pain made itself known and she gasped as pain exploded from her right side. She glanced down and nearly bit her tongue.

The sword was cutting into her side, her own black blood seeping down her legs onto the carpet. Sydney gave a wet, disoriented laugh and pushed the sword, the edge cutting deeper. Luna quickly jumped back, leaving marking on Sydney's shoulder. She gripped at the gash.

There came a crash from downstairs, but neither girl took much notice. Sydney was stumbling after the Witch like a drunkard, red blood painting a path into the expensive carpeting. Luna was fighting to hold in her pain, moving back and clicking one set of claws. The sword jabbed at her again and in dodging, the wound opened up more until Luna tripped over a stool and fell to the ground, the back of her head crashing against the curved corner of the vanity. Her vision was colored with stars. A dark object blocked the light and the stars turned all colors of the rainbow.

Luna had never been so scared in her life. She tried to focus on the Immune, but something wasn't right. When did Sydney grow talons? And why was her blond hair now pitch black, with green eyes instead of blue? The logical section of her brain pulsed in anger as she tried to stay awake.

"You should've died with your Immune lover, 'sister'. You shouldn't have attacked me like that," sounded like Sydney, but another voice, a more familiar one, was interwoven and made her blood run cold. Something stabbed at her chest and she let out one final scream before she passed out, the last feeling around her of a body hitting the floor.

* * *

><p>Garrett stood in the dining room of his family home, fists half-clenched at his sides, breathing hard. His head ached where he'd hit the wall, and his knuckles ached a little where he'd hit Kain, but overall he thought he'd gotten the better end of the deal. His brother now lay unmoving beneath a small bookshelf - nothing that could kill him, but it would keep him pinned for a little while.<p>

Then his head whipped up as he heard a muffled scream from upstairs. He'd know that voice anywhere.

"Luna!" he barked, turning and charging up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Putting his shoulder down, he smashed into the door to the master bedroom, plowing straight through it and stumbling into the room beyond. The sight that met his eyes nearly froze his blood. Luna was lying slumped against the far wall, a deep gash on her left side just below her ribs, her entire side slick with blood. It had splattered the carpet and wall near her, and her hands were coated in it, resting near the wound as if she'd been trying to staunch the bleeding.

Then his eyes followed the trail of bloody speckles across the carpet, to where Sydney lay face-down, a bloody sword lying near her open hand.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he looked down at the woman. Oh, how he wanted to end her pathetic life right now. Just pick her up and smash her face into the wall a few times. She would be gone from his life forever, the bitch.

Then he looked back at Luna, lying there with blood still trailing from the slit opened in her side, and his burning heart cooled. Rushing over, he dropped to one knee beside the Witch, sliding his arms beneath her and lifting her into the air. She was so cold, so very cold, and Garrett couldn't tell whether or not she was breathing. Hurrying into the hall and kicking in the door to the guest bedroom, Garrett laid her gently on the bed, tearing off her shirt and draping it over the back of a nearby chair. He fumbled about for a moment before remembering he'd left his first-aid kit in the truck, then, after soundly cursing himself out for an idiot, decided to improvise.

Fortunately, he'd already gotten out of his jacket. Unceremoniously ripping off his tank-top, he tore the garment into strips and started using them to bind the wound. Tight but not too tight. The worn white piece of clothing just barely made enough strips to cover the wound, and he dropped onto the bed next to her, pulling the slim Witch into his lap and cradling her head in one of his hands. He rested his other hand on the side of her neck, and went stiff. He couldn't feel a pulse.

"Luna!" he said, giving the Witch a gentle shake. "Luna, goddamn it!" A single, solitary tear slipped down his cheek, but he stubbornly held back the rest. "Luna..." his voice was starting to break, but he still managed to say "You... you didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve as shitty a companion as me." Sniffling and looking away, he continued "I'm... I'm sorry. Sorry for all the shit I said and did. You should know... it was all because..." he broke off, frowning as if he had only now realized what he was about to say.

"It was all because I loved you, Luna. I just... never knew how to express it." Leaning down, he slowly, tenderly kissed the unmoving Witch on her cheek, finally breaking down and letting himself cry.

* * *

><p><em>Luna ran as fast as her legs could carry her, which was pretty damn fast, she had to admit. The trees grabbed at her clothing while she ducked and weaved as far from the Survivors as she could. All she could remember was the pinch in her left shoulder, and then charging forward, swinging at a dark neck, and then...<em>

_She stopped for a moment, and the branch not even an inch to the side of her was blown to pieces from a shotgun blast. She jumped and turned, looking for the stalking Immunes bent on avenging their lost companion. Her feet started back up, kicking pine cones and jumping over tree roots for the distant cliff. Her savior, whom she called Father, told her to meet him back there if anything ever went wrong, and now seemed like as best a time as any for help._

_She finally saw the clearing and broke through, golden eyes searching for the camp that had been here not even a few hours ago. She turned as another bullet whizzed by her head and she watched as four armed men broke into the light, laser lights trained on her. She glanced down for a moment to see the red dots dancing over her abdomen._

_"Crazy crying bitch. You killed my girl," one of the men went about to say. He wasn't large enough to be a threat in a one-on-one fight, but his caliber of gun made up for the fact that he couldn't visually cow her. "I'm gonna pop your head right off your shoulders," he stated, flashing the light right into one of her eyes._

_Luna squinted and was prepared to feel the cold hand of Death squeeze her when she heard a scream that filled her with trepidation. She tried to focus as the light was ripped from her face, but all she could see were the men vanishing into the cover of the trees one by one. Suddenly, all that was left was the man that had addressed her. Her turned back, mortified._

_"You drew us into a trap!" he spat with such vehemence that her heart began to stop. He drew up his weapon and was ready to fire when something white latched onto his hair and a claw just like hers was drawn deep over his neck, forcing blood to gush from the fatal wound. His scream came out as a drowning gurgle and his body slumped to the floor, draining blood into the vibrant green grass._

_Luna stared at the sight, unable to believe what she had just seen. Four men, bent on killing her...massacred. A rustle came from the brush and she readied to attack when a handsome, familiar face appeared._

_"Father!" she cried joyfully, charging forward to fall into open arms. "Father, I was terrified something had happened to you when I came here and you had left."_

_"Don't ever fret, child," he said, "for I shall never leave you. I promise to always be here for you, no matter what dangers you may face." He went about petting her hair and she cried silently into his shirt, unaware that a third presence had joined them. He pulled her from his chest and wiped her tears away with a calloused finger. "Let me introduce you to your cousin, Raven. Raven, this is your baby cousin, Luna."_

_Luna looked at the dark-haired angel before her, eyes blurred. She smiled at the face and whispered a heartfelt "thank you" to the elder Witch, who gave no verbal reply._

_Luna's "father" bent down, his mouth against her ear. "Be wary of her, my dear. She's been trained by my mortal enemy," he spoke with as serious tone, but a chuckle broke forth. Luna gave a small half-smile at the joke, but she sensed that it wasn't all a joke._

_"Anywho," he said as he rose to his feet, "enough idle chit chat. We must be off for safer ground. It looks like rain is coming in fast."_

_Sure enough, dark clouds soon enveloped the city and forest around it in a damp cloak and rain poured from the sky, catching the trio right as they dove into a building, climbing the service stairs to a higher floor to settle down for the night. Still, the young Witch couldn't help but notice how much the elder was watching every move she made. Luna clung even tighter to her "father" as they walked towards a pair of rooms with lights on. Raven went further down the hall towards a farther light while the Immune and younger Witch ventured inside. The door was secured with the think chain and she watched as he shrugged out of his jacket._

_Luna asked the blatant question, "Where is Raven going, Father?"_

_"To your uncle, her own Father, my child. But enough questions. In the adjacent room are clothes for you to change into and your own bed. We'll be staying here for a while."_

_"After here, where are we going?"_

_"Why, to your new home, dear. Where else would I take you but to somewhere were you would be loved and cared for? Another of your Uncles runs the facility and has assured me that you'll be very happy there."_

_"B-but, won't you come with me?"_

_A sigh passed the aged man's lips and he ran a hand through hie fading brown hair. "I wish I could, darling, but I can't. Don't fret. I'm very confident you can take care of yourself." He kissed the top of her damp head and led her into her own room, closing the door behind her with a soft, "Father loves you very much."_

_"I love you too, Father."_

* * *

><p>Luna stirred, blinking into the dim light rapidly. She couldn't feel her body, but she knew something heavy was keeping her down. Her ears perked right up as she heard angry voices from the other side of a door, almost screaming at one another.<p>

"That...that...THING has been comatose for four days now! Faint heartbeat that keeps fading, no movement, no nothing! Why won't you let it die, Garrett?"

"Don't you dare call Luna an 'it', Sydney! You tried to fucking kill her!"

"She came at me first! She's a fucking headcase and need to get the hell out of my house before I personally fire a few shotgun pellets through her skull."

"Sydney, get the fuck out of my sight before I break your damn neck."

"KAIN! GARRETT'S threatening m-"

The scream faded as light footsteps found their way downstairs. Luna soaked in everything. Four days? Had she lost that much blood? She tried to sit up, but the tugging of her muscles made her wince in pain and she forced her head back into the burning pillow. Four days...

The door opened and fresh light blinded her. Something savory, filled with meat, was brought in and the door closed once again.

"You're awake..."

Kain pushed the door to the guest room open, slipping inside quietly before shutting it behind him. Turning to look at the occupant of the bed - whose eyes were awake, although she didn't look very energetic - he smiled slightly and said "You're awake." Taking a few steps into the room, still a little unsteady from the beating he'd received from his elder brother a few days ago, he leaned on the end table at the foot of the bed, staring at the Witch lying prone beneath the covers. Every instinct in his body, save a few originating from his nether regions, was telling him to grab the nearest gun and put a bullet between this 'woman's eyes, but he restrained himself.

"K-Kain?" the Witch - what did Garrett say her name was? L-something? - said, blinking in confusion. "Where's Garrett?" Kain narrowed his eyes slightly at the mention of the name, and said "Garrett's downstairs. Probably having another argument with my Sydney. God, the way those two go at it you'd think they were siblings." He chuckled a little at his own inadvertent humor, then straightened and turned around, idly walking over to the dresser and trailing a finger down the polished wood.

"Did you know," he said, "Garrett stayed in this very room several times when he came home from tour? I think he even slept with a few girls in that very bed." Glancing over, he saw the Witch - Luna, that was it - go an amusing shade of pink, glancing down at the sheets as if worried that ex-lovers would pop out of them, and chuckled wryly. "Don't worry, that was a while ago. Before he really 'made it'." After a melancholy pause, he added "He never came home then. Always out staying at five-star hotels, dating celebs and making more money in a month than I did in a year." A hint of bitter jealousy showed through in his voice, and Luna must have detected it, because she frowned at him.

"You're... you're jealous, aren't you?" she said, her voice still a little slurred from drowsiness. Kain snorted. "Me? Jealous? Of that overrated, drunk asshole?" Luna looked like she wanted to protest, but Kain turned away, running his hands through his perfectly-combed blond hair, and blowing out his breath before saying. "Yeah, I'm jealous. I'm jealous that he was rich and famous, jealous that he made it on the cover of five different music magazines half a dozen times each, jealous that he made enough money that he blew it on fancy cars and expensive hookers and still had twice as much as I did - and didn't work for any of it. He just got up in front of a mic and belted out some corny tunes, and the world put him on a pedestal, while I stayed here, in this goddamn podunk town in the middle of nowhere, just trying to do honest work."

There was a long pause, then Kain stiffened as Luna spoke behind him. "That's not what this is about, is it?" she said thoughtfully, and Kain whirled on her. "This is about regret," she continued, tilting her head to the side and staring at him with an odd mix of fascination and pity written on her features. "You're sorry you didn't accept his offer of joining the band, and now you're-..."

"What do you know about that!" Kain snapped, slamming a fist down on the bedside table and leaning towards the prone Witch. "You weren't here! You don't know shit! One day, Garrett just decides to chase his fantasies while I'm trying to make a living, and asks if I want to join him. Sit around in the garage, eating cold pizza and playing occasional gigs at cheap bars? No thanks! How the hell was I supposed to know the son of a bitch was gonna make it big!"

He hadn't realized how close he was getting until he was right up in Luna's face, hands planted on the mattress on either side of her slim form, staring down at the Witch beneath him, who had recoiled in surprise from the sudden outburst. Kain paused, staring down into the golden eyes shimmering beneath him, and then froze as the familiar deep, dangerous voice of his brother growled from the doorway.

"Get away from her, Kain."

* * *

><p>Luna stayed curled beneath the blond man, who had yet to break eye contact with her. She wasn't sure if she should move. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and every breath she took, as evenly as she could, Kain's scent flooded her senses, making her nostalgic.<p>

"I said, get away from her," Garrett ordered again, stepping into the room but advancing no further than the table near the door.

Kain pushed from his spot, allowing the Witch her space to curled into a ball, watching in horror as the blond stormed past his brother without a word and closed the door with a tension-breaking 'click'.

Garrett lit a match and the wick of a candle provided an orb of light. He came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting a large hand upon her leg.

Luna scooted closer to her friend, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed and resting her head upon his shoulder, hearing the blood rushing through his jugular vein in time with a drum beat. "I was out for four days?" she whispered, trying not to really focus on anything other than her words.

Garrett nodded softly, bringing a hand up to run through her mane. "Yeah. I was afraid you were gone. Your heartbeat was so faint..."

Luna couldn't help but think of her dream. It wasn't that long. Maybe thirty minutes. But really...four days? She nuzzled the side of his neck in an attempt to find comfort. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came ov-"

"Don't apologize. You weren't the only one to lose their head. I'm just glad you're awake."

Luna took in a deep, calming breath and scrunched her nose. "Ugh, I smell horrible. Like...a Boomer." She shrugged away from the rocker and rose to her feet only to fall back towards the bed in the blink of an eye.

She groaned at her weakness, determined to stand up again, when Garrett snaked one hand around her arms and the other under her legs, lifting her up with a yelp. "Garrett, put me down! I can walk just fine."

"No you can't and I'm not letting you down again just so you can fall. Here, I'll run you a bath so you won't slip in the shower."

Luna could feel her skin burning, but simply watched as he opened the bathroom door and sat her on the toilet seat, bending over to run her a warm bath. He tested the water what had to have been ten times before turning back to her. They watched each other for a moment before he cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"I...I can get in by myself. I'll be careful, I promise," Luna reassured him.

He nodded, although unsure himself, before walking back into the main room, closing the door with a soft click. She sighed, waiting for her heart to relax before slowly unraveling her brown wrappings and stumbling towards the tub, planting one foot inside before sliding in, the heat enveloping her like a warm blanket. She sighed and closed her eyes, the pain non-existent.

She soaked, motionless for a long while, feeling her skin pulse as the wound healed itself. She ran the pads of her fingers over the scar and sighed, images of Sydney's (or was it Raven's) face staring down at her. She shook her head viciously, throwing a palmful of water in her face to wash away the image.

The door clicked open and she peered at the mirror, but couldn't see anyone. A deep, worried voice came from the darkness.

"Everything okay, Luna?"

She hummed in response, watching the door close back before grabbing the bar of soap and finally washing herself. She scrubbed her skin tediously, watching flakes of black blood swirl down the drain.

She sat, popping bubbles with her claws until the water drained away, having her sitting in a puddle of water. Now to get out...

Her face grew with blush. She wouldn't be able to make it to the towel rack herself...

"G-Garrett?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I can't reach the towel rack..."

* * *

><p>Garrett blinked. Did... did she just say she couldn't reach the towel rack? "Uhh..." he fumbled for words, a crimson stain spreading across his cheeks. "Do... do you want me to go get one from somewhere else, or...?" he trailed off, his blush deepening. It wasn't like he hadn't seen a girl naked before - on the contrary, he'd seen so many that he'd lost count - but this was... different.<p>

"No, i-it's fine," Luna stammered, and Garrett could tell that she was just as nervous about this whole affair as he was. "Ookay..." he said, gently pushing the door open and stepping into the bathroom, hurriedly closing it behind him.

When he turned around, his jaw nearly hit the floor. Luna was sitting, stark naked and with her skin glistening with water, in the tub. Her knees were pulled up to her chest in a vain attempt at modesty, but Garrett could still see enough.

He tried not to stare. He really, really did. After a few seconds of extremely awkward silence, he shook himself and turned away, face burning like a coal fire. Mumbling something incoherent, he grabbed at a towel and only succeeded at knocking it onto the floor. Cursing under his breath, he squatted down, retrieved the towel from the floor, and turned, extending it to the Witch sitting in the tub and making a heroic effort to look elsewhere.

"T-thank you..." Luna murmured, then cleared her throat awkwardly and said "Can... can you help me stand up?"

"Uh... yeah. Yes. Of course," Garrett stammered, turning and taking a hold of the Witch's wrist. He hauled Luna to her feet, but one foot slipped a little on the bathmat and he pulled a little harder than he meant to as he tried to regain his balance. Luna, having practically no traction in the wet bathtub, pitched forward with a startled yelp, landing on Garrett's chest.

The rocker's heart skipped a beat. The towel had fallen from Luna's startled grip, and she now stood with her dripping wet body pressed up against his, the water soaking through his shirt and jeans as he stared down at her and she stared back. Both of their faces were red as beets, and Garrett opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a stuttering mumble. His jeans were rapidly becoming far too small and constricting, and a familiar heat was starting to build inside him.

After several moments, Luna got her hands between them and pushed off, scooping up the towel and wrapping herself with it, turning away embarrassingly. Glancing down at the water now soaking the front of his shirt, Garrett managed "I'll... be outside," and fled.

* * *

><p>Sydney sat downstairs, curled into the couch, watching her favorite DVD, Revenge of the Bridesmaids. No, she wasn't one for all of those "treat every person with kindness", heavens no. But, she sure as hell did love money, and watching all of the luxuries in the beautiful blond's house swing by just made her giddy.<p>

"Doll, I know exactly what I want our house to look like when we finally get hitched. It's going to be the envy of everyone in the world!" she called into the house, unsure of where her fiance was.

A door upstairs opened and closed, thought no footfalls came down the hall. She paused her movie and leaned over the back of the couch, watching Garrett breathing heavily with his red face. Her blue eyes grew with curiosity. That was where he was hiding his monster. She slid to the floor and snuck her way to the stairs, eyes fixed on the rocker's current condition. He had one hand over his eyes, and the front of his shirt and jeans were covered with wet spots. Her eyes dropped to his jeans, and a familiar, not-so-little friend was trying to break free. A sinister smile hid her longing. If that gray woman hasn't fucked him yet, and assuming he's been starved of true pleasure for a few months...

"Dammit, Garrett," he hissed at himself, still covering his eyes and trying his hardest to settle his hardness.

Sydney took the opportunity to get right up close to him, careful not to touch...yet. He slowly drew down his hand and his eyes grew wide. He tried to back up, but his back was flat against the door, leaving him nowhere to go.

"What's the matter, Garrett?" the blonde woman purred, finally pressing her body against his. She shivered with delight at the wonderful memories that flooded her senses. "Is Luna alright?"

Garrett's reply came out more as a hungry growl, but he finally managed to hiss "back off", though not with enough venom to turn her off. If anything, his pitiful attempt was lighting her fire. And the thought of getting caught...

"You haven't fucked her yet," she whispered in his ear, fingers tracing the edge of his pants. "She told me." She went to nibble on his earlobe, hoping he'll finally give in to his raw emotions. "Why not?"

Garrett growled even deeper, the bulge in his pants stressing his jeans. She pressed her body closer, his hands resting on her shoulders in a manner to push her back, but not hindering her actions in the slightest. She glanced at his eyes and saw, beneath the visions of heartbreak and raw need, regret and love. Her heart began to surge with jealousy. Garrett never looked that way when SHE was with him. And they fucked just about every other chance they could get. What was so damn special about this girl?

Sydney's hand snapped open his belt and the zipper practically drew itself down, teeth chattering in the hall. His heat was right beneath her hand now, wrapped in his boxers. She snaked her palm inside his pants and gave his arousal a rough squeeze. "Fuck me, Garrett," she sighed, determined to show this monster who really had Garrett's heart. "Fuck me like you used to." She crashed her lips against his and squeezed her hand again, his moan dripping down her throat.

"SYDNEY!" came from down the hall and she threw herself back, snapping her head to see her fiance staring, eyes sharp even in the distance. She didn't know whether to be terrified or horny as hell that she had been caught with her ex by her lover. Kain moved forward, watching her face with a frown upon his. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She could hear Garrett making himself decent, fingers trembling as her redid his pants and moved by silently, going down the stairs and into the kitchen. Kain's touch on her wrist snapped her attention back and she frowned pitifully.

"We haven't had sex since Garrett's been here with his...his...thing! It's like you wanted me to fuck him, the way you would leave us alone. Doll, you had to know this was going to happen. It's not like THEY'RE sleeping together. I was just-"

"You were just being a whore again, Sydney. In the middle of th-" he stopped, rubbing at his temple with both hands. His eyes returned to his fiancee. "You can't seriously be that fucking horny."

She purred, pressing her body against his to answer him. But, he just pushed her away and pointed to her room. "Go."

"B-But, Kain, baby..."

"Sydney...go."

With a huff, she ran for her room, slamming the door as hard as she could. That bitch was ruining everything! If she had killed her earlier, just driven that sword between her perky little tits when she had the chance...

"I'll show her," Sydney snarled, pacing around her room. "And then I'll be Queen of the Castle again."


	6. Chapter 6

Luna drew open the window and took in a deep breath. Her brain was racing just about as fast as her heart. Her friend...her idol...he acted like he cared. He treated her well. But he never did anything more. It was like they were stuck on the awkward line between "friends" and "more".

"Garrett," she asked quietly, her voice seeming to echo in silence, "what do you think of me?"

Garrett looked up at her, she could feel his gaze on the back of her neck, but didn't turn to face him. "You're...uh...well..."

"I know I'm not as pretty as Sydney."

"That's a damn lie. You're much more beautiful than she is."

Luna spun around and looked up. "Garrett, don't lie to me. I'm not that pretty. I don't think I could even be as pretty as half the girls you've been with. They were Immune, not monsters with huge claws for fingers. I can't do anything simple without weeks of practice. I'm a freak of nature. A monster..."

Garrett rose from his spot on the bed and moved towards the Witch. "You're different than other Witches. Different from other girls in general. I've known that since the moment I laid eyes on you. You're beautiful. You don't judge me. I mean, hell, if all girls were more like you, this place would be perfect."

Luna's breath hitched in her throat and she turned her face away.. "But something has to be wrong with me. Some reason why you won't..."

"Why I won't what?"

The silence ate through Luna like a disease and she bit on her lip, still not meeting his eyes.

"You mean sleep with you? Luna, I just didn't want you to think that I was a horny bastard that slept around. You're very special to me."

Luna's heart was caught in a vice as she uttered the phrase "not special enough" before moving to rise from the bed. She felt the sudden grip on her wrist and was forced around. Something soft meshed with her lips and her head felt like it was going to pop.

She was pushed away gently and tried to focus on the room around her.

"Luna," Garrett's voice filled her ears, like a melody of a song, "I love you. I love you more than you can understand. All those times I was a jerk to you, or I ever made you doubt me as a friend, I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart."

He pulled her in for another kiss and she melted in his touch. His hand wrapped around her waist, resting at her hips and bring her closer. She murmured excitedly, thinking back to all the romance novels she's ever been infatuated with. This was how it started: a revealing of secret feelings, the woman walking away, the man kissing her to make her stay, and soon...

Garrett stood up, careful not to break their kiss as he moved Luna so she could lay on the bed. His hands ghosted over her frame, not really touching her but setting her skin ablaze. A sudden embarrassing thought overcame her, and she broke the kiss with a turn of her head.

Garrett began to ramble, a sad look upon his face. "What's wrong? Am I moving too fast? I'm sorry if I'm g-"

"No no no. Nothing like that. You were doing fine, actually," she managed to say with a small smile before she remembered why she stopped him in the first place. Her face grew pink with embarrassment. "It's just...well...I've never done this before."

Garrett felt his cheeks grow hot, and he stammered for a moment before shrugging and saying "Won't be the first time I've done a virgin. Just try to relax, and follow my lead, okay?" Luna nodded vigorously, and Garrett leaned down, trailing kisses down her neck while he undid his belt. Kicking off his boots, he broke away only long enough to slide out of his tank-top, then reached down, ghosting a hand across Luna's side. The Witch arched into his touch, mouth opening in a silent moan as Garrett moved lower, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of her skirt.

Deftly drawing the zipper down, he slipped the garment off and tossed it aside, then helped Luna out of her shirt. The Witch leaned up towards him, claws trailing ever-so-gently and carefully down the toned muscles of his abdomen, fingering the button on his jeans. Smiling a little, he murmured "Let me get that," and quickly undid the button and drew down the zipper, stepping out of the worn denim and chucking it aside.

Leaning down once more, Garrett nibbled a little on Luna's earlobe, earning something between a gasp and a giggle, then breathed in her ear. "Don't you ever say you're not special enough, or not pretty enough, or any of that bullshit." The Witch giggled again at the rocker's profanity, and he continued, "If this is some shit that Sydney told you, I swear after we're done here I'll beat her until she apologizes. But for now," he snaked an arm around behind Luna's back, unhooking her bra, "We have other matters to attend to."

When Garrett took Luna's bra off, he expected her to make at least some attempt to cover herself. She had always seemed shy and slightly insecure, and it startled him when she hooked an arm around the back of his neck, pulling herself up towards him and crashing their lips together. Not that he was about to object. Shucking his increasingly-constricting briefs, Garrett chuckled a little as his soldier sprang to attention, and grinned at the delightful blush that spread across Luna's cheeks at the sight of it.

Sliding down and hooking two fingers in the hem of Luna's panties, Garrett glanced up at her, winked, and murmured, "Remember, just relax. It's gonna hurt at first, and I'm sorry, but I promise it gets better. A lot better." Reaching down with a claw as Garrett slid her underwear off, Luna lightly touched the rocker on the cheek with her claws, causing him to glance up in surprise. "I trust you," she whispered, and what was left of Garrett's heart melted.

Sliding his palms up Luna's bare, scalding flesh, Garrett positioned himself at her entrance, looked up into her enchanting golden eyes, and asked "Are you ready?"

Luna couldn't tear her eyes away. None of this felt real to her. More like a dream. And, at the same time, the thought of pain was making her tense. Sure, she's felt pain before, but what if this was too much for even her to endure? What if her feral senses broke free and tore him apart for causing her pain? She took in a deep breath to steady her nerves before whispering a worried, "Be gentle, please."

Garrett nodded and captured her lips in a soft, reassuring kiss as he pressed his hips into hers. Her claws scratched down his back and he grunted, pausing momentarily until the pressure faded. He buried himself to the hilt and stayed there for a moment, listening to his love's breathing.

Luna squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to tear into Garrett's shoulder. She wanted to bite into her lip, but she tried not to. Finally, her breathing evened out. She nodded, but couldn't look at him quite yet.

"Y-You can move."

"Okay. Let me know if it hurts."

Luna could feel fireworks exploding in her brain and a loud, needy moan spilled from her throat as the rocker pulled back, touching her insides everywhere. Her logical mind told her that the noise was wrong, that she should feel ashamed, but every other synapse in her body was screaming for more. She wasn't even sure it was real until the pain came back as he entered her body again. She arched up and bit into her lip, claws digging for leverage.

Garrett groaned as her nails drew blood and he hissed, "Luna...nails."

She shot her eyes open and extended her palms, prying her nails from his back. She tried to whisper an apology, but she could hardly breath, starting to pant beneath him as he rocked within her. The pain soon faded to a manageable level, until she hurt no longer and could only moan in her lover's ear.

His slow, gentle pace touched every ounce of her searing flesh and she tried not to beg for more, his gradual increase of pace wonderful to her. Her back arched with each of his thrusts, forcing him deeper into her petite body, touching places she never knew were inside her, or that felt so amazing. Her arms snaked around his neck and her lips melded with his as a fire started to burn in her chest. She couldn't stop the coos and moans that she sent down the rocker's throat as they kisses, a sudden gust of chilly air deterring neither of them. She actually welcomed the cool breeze, as it forced away some of the uncomfortable heat.

"Garrett," she sighed, trying to pull him as close to her body as she could. She was trembling madly as the heat began to devour her. "I...I..." she gasped.

"Luna," Garrett grunted, placing a hand against her shoulder and leaning down, kissing her messily before touching his forehead to hers. "You're beautiful."

The Witch threw back her head and screamed as her walls pulsed, her very first orgasm crashing through her like a freight train. Her nails tore into skin and she could feel his blood seeping between her fingers. She could feel something warm pooling inside her and the sudden heat made her purr. Garrett's sweaty body rolled beside hers, the fingers of his right hand splayed across her stomach. Another gust of wind fought back the heat and she sighed, nuzzling up against her lover.

Garrett sighed into his lover's hair, wrapping an arm around her middle and pulling her close. God, but it had been too long. And, more than that... Luna was just incredible. Something about her called to him, and he smiled, nuzzling into her mane as he thought that they were probably going to be doing this quite a bit in the days to come.

Then a cold, deadly but distinctly feminine voice shattered the happy silence. "Where is it?"

Garrett blinked, confused. His dazed brain, fogged with euphoria and the last draining remnants of passion, took several moments to process the situation. Then he jerked upright with a startled yell, rolling over his lover and taking up a protective stance in front of the bed, between Luna and the sleek, deadly shape standing in front of the window.

The shape moved closer, and Garrett growled low in his throat as a pool of light spilled across her face. Raven. "Come back for round two, bitch?" he snarled, dropping into a fighter's crouch as Luna struggled upright on the bed behind him. "I'd be glad to give you a second helping of ass-whooping."

Raven scoffed. "Don't be a fool. If I simply wanted to kill you, I could have done it while you two were... fornicating," she spat the last word like it tasted foul, then took another step forward and said "The thumb drive. I know one of you took it. Where is it?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Garrett hissed, and Luna slid off the bed, standing beside him. "Raven, listen to me-..." she began, but her 'sister' cut her off. "No, Luna. You failed your last chance at redemption, and ran off with an Immune. I don't have to listen to anything you say. Last chance. Give me the thumb drive, right now, or-..."

She was interrupted by Garrett's fist smashing into her jaw. The Witch, unprepared for the attack and lacking the time to properly brace herself, was spun around and thrown backwards, hitting the back wall of the room, stunned more by disbelief that someone would attack her than by the actual blow.

Grabbing Luna by the wrist, Garrett didn't bother to grab his clothes, simply charging for the door. Smashing into it in a tackle that snapped the latch in half and bruised his shoulder, Garrett stumbled through, slamming the door shut behind them, although it didn't stay because of the broken latch. There came a screech of indignant fury from the room they'd just left, and Garrett gave Luna a shove down the stairs, yelling "GO!"

He was about to follow her when the door to the guest room smashed open, and Raven came tearing out like an enraged lion. Ducking under a swipe that would have taken his head off, Garrett kicked out, aiming for the Witch's knee. She dodged, and Garrett cursed as his foot collided with the stair railing instead. Leaping to the side and avoiding castration by a bare few inches, Garrett snarled in rage and grabbed Raven by her wrist, twisting it around and feeling the bones snap and grind as the joint was bent in ways it was never supposed to be.

Not repeating his past mistake, Garrett let go of the angry Witch's wrist and leapt backwards, but not quite fast enough. A trio of long, but thankfully not very deep, gashes was carved into the thick musculature of his chest, and his leap turned into a pained stagger. Coughing, he ducked another swipe from Raven's good hand, then turned and dove for the stairs.

Luna was glad that Kain and Sydney were nowhere in sight. At least, so she thought. She ran into the kitchen and bumped into something soft. It fell and she tumbled on top of it, trying to cushion her fall.

"Luna! Where did yo-"

She looked down and saw none other than Kain staring up at her. She could feel her face changing colors. She scrambled up and grabbed at a towel in a stack of laundry, wrapping it around her body. She had never been so embarrassed-

Garrett burst through the arch leading into the kitchen, blood dribbling from cuts on his chest. He hurried to the knife rack and grabbed a few blades, chucking them out into the living room. A screech of pain shot through the air. Luna's heart stopped, her nails ripping thin slits into the fabric. She could hear Raven's voice, filled with anger.

"I'll get what I came for, little 'sister'. And I'll take care of you and your lover."

She hurried out into the living room to see the front door wide open, hanging on by a hinge. She ran onto the porch and stared into the open, looking for any sign of her sister. Her heart was sinking.

"Garrett, what the fuck is going on?" Kain demanded.

Luna turned and closed the door behind her. She watched Kain eye her in confusion. She sighed. "It's all my fault."

"No it's not," Garrett corrected, coming out of the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his waist. "You weren't the one she's after."

"Actually...I am. You know that thumb drive she asked about?" She waited for Garrett to nod. "I have it. I don't know what's on it, but when I went back to camp to gather my things, this guy was there and he killed the Master General, all for whatever's on that drive."

"Where is it now?" Kain interrupted.

"The bag with all my clothing and books. I haven't seen it in a while, but I think it sank to the bottom on our way down here."

"Kain, doll," Sydney's voice called from her room, "What's all that damn noise for? I'm trying to sleep up here!"

The door slammed shut and Luna visibly flinched. That blonde woman still scared her. She slunk closer to her lover for comfort.

* * *

><p>"So," Garrett said, hopping down out of the truck and closing the door behind him, "Looks like this city's been mostly cleaned out already. Which is good, for what we're gonna do." Luna came walking around from the other side of the truck, moving ahead into the road and looking around. Garrett found his eyes straying lower than they should, and snapped them fiercely back up to her head. Now was not the time for that.<p>

"You've never been out of that base of yours, right?" he asked, and Luna turned to look, nodding vigorously. "Never," she confirmed, then tilted her head in thought. "Well, I've been to another base... and out in the wilderness training... but never for very long."

"Okay, you've got quite a bit to learn then," Garrett said, moving up and draping an arm over her shoulders. She snuggled into his side, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, looking around for something to distract his attention. "See that there?" he pointed to a Save 4 Less across the street, its parking lot scattered with the decaying husks of abandoned vehicles, the front windows boarded up. "That's a convenience store. I'm sure you've heard about them. Great places to find non-perishable food, drink, and miscellaneous supplies, as long as they haven't been looted yet."

Luna tilted her head in thought. "You mean like the one at that gas station we stopped at on the way here?" Garrett frowned. "Ehh... stores at gas stations are usually smaller than others, so they're not as good to search in. If you can find a supermarket, you've lucked out - those things are huge. I once found two weeks' worth of canned food in one of those places."

"Next thing you need to know is the rule of noise. Did your teachers ever go over how the Commons are attracted to sound?" Luna smiled a little. "Garrett," she said, "I might have been shut up in a base my whole life, but I'm not that clueless. I already know that sound attracts my kindred." Garrett shrugged, and said "Okay, but there's a big difference between knowing something intellectually and putting it into practice. Little things that you might not notice can attract a lot of attention - gunshots, a car engine, music... all sorts of stuff. Moving through a populated area like a city, you gotta be extra-careful."

"Now pretty often, you're gonna need to find a spot to hunker down, whether it's just for the night or for longer. There are some pretty simple rules for determining what makes a good holdout." Pointing around at various structures while he talked, Garrett said "Windows are a problem. Little ones, especially on higher floors are okay, but any windows on the first floor and big windows on upper floors are problems, 'cause zombies can see in them or even break in through them."

"Next, you gotta determine how many potential entrances your building of choice has. Too few entrances means you can get trapped easily, while too many means you can quickly get surrounded. And what kind of entrances are they? The sturdier the door, the better." He fell silent, out of advice for the moment, and Luna looked up at him. "Anything else?" she asked, and Garrett frowned in thought. "Well, other than that, most of what I can teach you will be through demonstration. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering," she said, leaning her head against his side. "I have something I can teach you too, you know." Garrett blinked in slight surprise, but shrugged and said "Be my guest."

Luna took the lead, eyes ever watchful for her kin. She could smell a curious Hunter some ways away, but her brother knew better than to attack the Immune she was near. But the scent was strong. It smelled as though more than one of her kin was nearby. A collective growl reverberated through an alley.

"Garrett," she whispered, eyes sharp. "Get in the truck."

"Luna, where are y-"

"Get in the truck...now."

He stepped forward but she hissed in clear disapproval, part of her feeling terrible for lashing out, but she didn't want to fight unless it was completely necessary. "Truck. Now." A stray breeze brought to her the scent of five Hunters.

Garrett's hand fell on her shoulder and it took all of her willpower not to turn and swipe at him. She threw him off and pointed at the truck, one ear still trained on her kin's approaching forms.

"Please," she whispered. "Go. I'll be right back."

Garrett sighed and finally complied. She waited until she could hear the safe click of the lock before advancing on her kin. They skirted to a halt, just out of sight. She could count twelve eyes, one pair very close to the ground. A miniature.

_"Kindred, why do you stalk my Immune?"_ she asked in her Infected tongue. _"You only travel in packs to hunt. Do you plan to feast on my friend?"_

The Hunters jabbered in a garbled Infected tongue much too fast for her ears and they began to retreat. She moved closer.

_"Answer me, kindred."_

With that, the Hunters turned on their tails and took off, screaming _"Retreat!"_ in a very clear screech. Luna's Infected mind began to light. What were they hiding from? She was of little threat, and her companion an easy feast...she trembled at the thought of Garrett being torn to ribbons between their pointed teeth and took off to catch one, scaling the brick walls as they climbed higher and leapt farther.

_"Kindred! Halt!"_ she cried out, closing in on the miniature whose nails were not yet sharp enough for secure holds on the brick. She grabbed the creature around the back, careful not to pierce flesh with her talons. She didn't realize how far she'd chased them until a solitary bead of sweat dribbled down the side of her face. _"Miniature! Why do you and your brothers and sisters run from me and my Immune?"_

_"Go!"_ the miniature screeched. _"Fear. Pain. Madre! Padre! Familia!"_ The mixture of Spanish threw Luna off. Bilingual Infected? Was that at all possible?

"_Fear of what? What about your family?"_

The miniature squirmed even more. _"Mi familia! Mi madre! Mi padre! Mi familia!"_

"_What about them?"_ Luna asked louder, staring the young child in his eyes. _"What are you afraid of?"_

_"Crier! Green-eyed crier!"_

Luna's heart sank. Raven. She nearly dropped the child and charged back to the truck. Through the alley she broke through and her golden eyes fell on the wreckage. Doors were ripped from their hinges. The front end had been crushed in as if a Tank had gotten at it. Tires were blown and bullet holes riddled the front. She could see some blood on the windshield, but she didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Garrett was still alive. She could feel it in her heart.

Garrett was alive...but where was he? And why did Raven want him?

* * *

><p>Kain rubbed at his eyes. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Garrett and Luna were out 'training' - which probably meant screwing in the back of Garrett's old pickup - which left him alone in the house with Sydney. A couple of days ago, being alone in the house with his fiancee would have been exactly what he'd have wanted, and a good excuse to have a romp around the bedroom with her, but now? His 'argument' with Garrett was on his mind often, and he couldn't help wondering whether Garrett was right about the blond woman.<p>

Heaving a sigh, he pushed himself up from the landing, pacing back and forth through the dining room. Maybe he should grab his hunting gear and go out to bag a few infected. That was always a great way to blow off steam - just find a nice, concealed spot high up on some building, take his silenced rifle and rack up the kills. Just like hunting deer, except with higher stakes. And, to Kain, the threat of death just made it all the more exciting.

Just as he was about to head upstairs for his sack of gear, the front door literally burst open. A lot of times, people say 'burst open' when someone just opens the door hard, but this time it really burst. It slammed against the wall hard enough to jostle dust from the ceiling, and Kain half-jumped in surprise, whirling around as Luna stormed through. Her eyes were wide and brimming with unshed tears, her mouth was set in a worried frown, and on the whole she looked downright panicked. Had Garrett fallen in a hole or something? That would be just like the-...

"Garrett's been captured!" Luna blurted, and Kain blinked in surprise and confusion. Captured? What the hell was the Witch going on about? How could he have been captured - and by what, for God's sake?

Holding up his hands in a placating gesture, he said "Hold on, Luna. Slow down. What happened?"

Pausing for breath - although she looked like she'd rather be out tearing something's throat out - Luna said "We were out training and ran into a pack of hunters. I told Garrett to get back to the truck where it was safe... or at least safer... and went to talk with the hunters. They were in a panic, and I had to chase them down, and they told me that Raven was in the area, and when I got back the truck was a complete mess and Garrett was gone."

She had to stop to catch her breath after that run-on sentence, and Kain took a moment to digest all of the information he'd just been force-fed. There was a pack of hunters in the area, Luna's crazy bitch of a sister was apparently back, and had kidnapped Garrett. She probably also had help, as Garrett really wasn't the type to go quietly with anyone.

"Do you know where he's being held?" Kain asked, and Luna shook her head, looking like she was about to cry. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said "I'll be back, okay? I need to go get my hunting gear and tell Sydney what's going on, but then we can take my Jeep out and go looking for my lost brother." His eyes narrowed, and he added "...after you answer some questions." Turning before Luna could ask what that meant, he charged off up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

* * *

><p>Luna sat in the passenger seat of Kain's Jeep, staring out at the landscape through the open window. The smell of rotting flesh and burnt hair soothed her racing heart. Where was Garrett? She hoped he was okay. She prayed his sharp tongue wouldn't get him killed.<p>

"So, Luna," Kain began, his voice shattering her motionless trance. She turned to face him, shifting in her seat. "How long have you two been a couple?"

Luna tilted her head curiously, the question not nearly as off-putting as it may have been. "We're friends. Just a couple of survivors. But not a couple like you and Syd-"

"I heard you two in your room. You're louder than you think, Luna."

Her heart rate increased tenfold and she could feel her skin practically melting as she blushed. She stammered a bit, forcing herself to stop many times and catch her breath.

Kain sighed, shaking his head. "You're just another notch, you realize." Luna's shy smile fell just as fast as it had appeared. "Not everything Syd told you was a lie, you know."

"What I know is that we shouldn't be talking about your brother like this," Luna muttered, looking back out the window and taking in a deep breath of the stagnant air again. "Turn up on this next road."

Kain nodded, taking a long pause. "You know, he sleeps around because of our father. Old man was a player. I know of about fifteen of our half-siblings, and that's just those who are younger than us. Heaven only knows how many were before us. Thing is, Garrett became a rocker because he, like a stupid shithead, looked up to the fame and wealth our old man had, ignoring everything else." A dry chuckle rolled off the hunter's lips. "In a way, this was bound to happen."

Luna sat silent, twiddling her thumbs. "He never told me about your dad."

"Of course not. The bastard lied his whole life. Cheated us out of everything but a monthly check. Neither of us were close to him."

"Then why di-"

"The fame. The power. Just the lifestyle. Garrett was meant for something like that. It's the career choice for liars. He's never had a good, strong relationship with anyone. Not even Sydney."

Luna bit her tongue to keep from blurting out any number of things that didn't need to be said. "Left fork in the road up ahead. I can hear something. Something...mechanical."

"So, Luna, what happens when you get pregnant?"

Luna did a double take. "W-what?" Pregnant? How?

"He didn't wear a condom. He rarely does. So, where do you plan to go wh-"

"I'm not pregnant. An Immune can't seriously get an Infected pregnant. It's never happened before, and I'm sure that someone would've heard about it."

"So, nowhere?" Kain rephrased.

Luna closed her mouth and solemnly shook her head. "B-but I'm sure that Garrett wouldn't leave me with a child. He's not like that."

"Don't even get me started on that list."

* * *

><p>Garrett doubled over and coughed, speckling his bare legs with flecks of crimson. Clenching his jaw against the pain in... well, everywhere, he straightened, leveling a venomous glare at his captor.<p>

Yeah, he'd been kidnapped, but he'd given as good as he got. A fell smile tugged up one corner of his mouth as he remembered it - Raven had brought help in the form of a goon squad of humans and one intelligent Hunter, and he'd given the bastards something to remember him by. Two broken noses, a major concussion, about a dozen broken ribs, and a pair of balls that were probably never going to be the same again. He would have felt bad for the bastard if he hadn't been trying to club Garrett senseless at the time.

Sadly, they had eventually overpowered him. Shot the hell out of his truck, too. Poor Victoria was never going to be the same. Of course, if this situation went the way it looked like it was going to... neither would he.

"Garrett Everett. Lead singer of Storm of Lead, correct?" Raven purred from her seat opposite him. He had been stripped completely naked, both to make sure he wasn't hiding anything and to make him feel vulnerable. Remarkable how well the psychology behind that worked, actually... for most people. Lucky for Garrett, he'd never been a very modest man, and had spent half of his nights as an adult naked in front of an almost complete stranger, so the lack of clothes really wasn't that much of an issue for him.

"Another fan?" Garrett joked, wishing that his hands weren't bound behind the chair so he could slug the witch across the jaw. "Sorry, I don't seem to have my autograph pen on me, but-..."

"Now is not the time for jokes, Everett," Raven hissed, and Garrett recoiled slightly from the hostility and rage in her voice. "You have corrupted one of us, turned her away from our path, and it is time you and she both paid for it. Where is Luna?"

Garrett's mouth shut with an audible snap. He glared across at the intelligent Witch, his eyes speaking volumes. Heaving a sigh, Raven stood up and said "Very well." Walking over, she idly fingered the bandage wrapped around Garrett's left forearm. "This is the wound I gave you, is it not? Let's take a look." Garrett twisted his neck around, watching as she slowly unwound the bandage, revealing the partially-healed wound. "Oh, it's doing so well..." she said, then abruptly plunged her knife-like talons into the partly-closed wound. "Oops... sorry."

Garrett didn't scream. He did, however, make a strangled little noise that sounded like a muzzled cat getting its first bath. The pain was beyond description, and he sat in slack-jawed silence, waves of agony crashing through his mind as half-healed tissue was violently ripped apart again.

Slowly withdrawing her claws from his arm, Raven snarled "One more time, Immune... where is Luna?"

Garrett licked his lips, and it took him a long moment to find his voice, the last vestiges of the blinding pain draining from his nerves. Finally, through gritted teeth, he managed "Fuck. You."

"Tsk, tsk," Raven clucked, moving around to his front and placing a clawed hand almost tenderly on his chest. "So rude. Don't make me rip that vulgar tongue from your mouth, Immune. I would hate for Luna to see you in that kind of state... it would just break her heart, don't you think?"

"Fuck you twice," Garrett spat, and Raven reached up, taking a firm hold of his long hair. "Very well," she snarled, and was just reaching up a clawed hand toward his face when a firm, authoritative voice barked "Raven! What the hell are you doing? I told you, no disfiguring injuries. Do what you have to do to get our lost lamb's location, but I will not tolerate loss of limbs." Garrett glanced around for the source of the voice, but could see nothing in the gloom of the... wherever the hell he was.

"Oh, don't worry, little pup," Raven murmured, and Garrett caught the glint of her sharp teeth in the darkness. "There's still a lot I can do to you..." Garrett swallowed. Well, this day was really not turning out as well as he'd hoped.


	7. Chapter 7

Father watched his daughter as she tortured her new plaything. He was sure she wouldn't make too much of a mess while finding the whereabouts of her sister. The Immune was careful about what he was willing to say.

"Strong-willed...for now."

Father turned to the door as it clicked open. Another of his children entered, head lowered as was custom.

"What do you want, child? I am currently preoccupied with more important matters," Father spoke, the irritation dripping in his tone.

"My sincerest apologies, Father. Outsiders have been spotted at the south gate. One is an armed Immune and the other resembles the traitorous cousin."

A senile grin grew on his face and he turned to the mike, pressing a red button.

"You may stop now, dearest Raven. It seems our guest of honor has arrived."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure we're in the right place, Luna? Gas isn't easy to find, so I'm not going to be driving us through this godforsaken forest all day," Kain seethed.<p>

Luna could feel the tension. First Sydney, and now Kain. Did all of Garrett's family hate her?

"I could smell Garrett and Raven moving this direction but now...there's so many Infected scents, it's hard to t-STOP!"

Kain hit the brakes as hard as he could, forcing the Jeep to a rocky stop. "What the hell, Luna!?"

She hopped out of the car and scampered up a tree to get a better view. She could hear the car door open below as she climbed as high as she could to see. She could see a green light in the distance blinking at her. It looked like it was tracking her in the dim lighting.

"Kain...move all of your stuff out of the Jeep. Fast."

"What the fuck are you bla-"

A miniature explosion filled the air and she watched the air-to-surface missile race towards them. She dropped down and snatched her companion to the ground as the Jeep was launched into the air, the mechanical beast swarming with flames.

Kain rolled as he hit the ground, the searing wave of heat from the explosion blasting his hair back and ruffling his clothes. Coughing in the acrid smoke from the Jeep's ignited gas, he leapt to his feet, his semi-automatic out and raised in one fluid motion, the safety off and the slide racked. He scanned the treeline, but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Better start talking," he snarled, sparing a quick glance at his companion. "Where the hell are they, and how the hell do they have missiles?"

"I'll explain later. Right now we have more important things to do," Luna said, and dashed off through the trees. Muttering a string of curses that would have raised Garrett's eyebrows, he charged after her, his hunting boots crunching in the mat of dead leaves that coated the ground. Hopping over roots and ducking beneath overhanging branches, he maneuvered easily in the dense woodland due to years of practice chasing deer through woods not too dissimilar to these, but Luna still managed to stay ahead of him, and make it look easy, too. He had to work to keep the gray-skinned woman in his sight, and almost collided with her when she abruptly stopped.

"What is it?" he hissed, and she wordlessly pointed. He followed her talon, and his heart nearly stopped. Through the trees, he could see what looked like a military compound - concrete pillboxes, barbed-wire fences, sandbag barricades... the works. It seemed abandoned, as no guards patrolled the fence and no lights could be seen in the windows of the pillboxes, but Kain's trained eye picked out a flicker of movement in the darkness. He raised his pistol to firing level, and whispered "Where are they? What are they?"

"Trained special Infected," she replied, and Kain swallowed. Wonderful. Regular specials weren't so bad - he could take on two hunters at once, as long as he had his gun. Intelligent ones that had been trained by the military, however...

A voice suddenly blared over a loudspeaker, causing Kain to jump. "You can put down the gun. We aren't going to hurt you. We just want your companion there." Kain licked his lips nervously, glancing over at Luna. The thought of abandoning her and running home briefly flickered through his mind, but he pushed it away. Hell no. He wasn't going to wuss out just because of some scary fences and an asshole shouting over a loudspeaker.

"Hell no!" he yelled back, glancing around for targets. "You want this? Come and get it! Unless you're too much of a pussy, hiding behind all that concrete and barbed wire." Luna winced beside him, but he ignored her. "Come on out, you old fuck! I can take you and your wimpy-ass kids!"

No one spoke for several long moments - apparently he had startled the person on the other end of the loudspeaker into silence. Then the voice said, in a voice only slightly tinged with irritation "Very well. Allow me to introduce two of my daughters - they're very excited to meet you."

* * *

><p>Luna wasn't sure if she recognized the voice Kain had challenged so quickly and boldly. It didn't sound like the one from her home base, but then again, what did she know about this man and how he worked? Other than that he was extremely methodical and ruthless. The fact that this trained killer was even allowing his daughters to battle with an Immune and a traitor was shocking enough. It meant the fight was not in their favor.<p>

"Kain," Luna whispered, "I think you may have just gotten us killed."

"That pussy won't do anything," the blonde man spat, cocking his rifle and aiming at the door. "Not if he wants to keep breathing."

"He's no joke. He's killed nearly all of my comrades in cold blood, and he would've done the same thing to me if he had the chance... if I hadn't broken curfew and stayed with Garrett."

"Well it doesn't matter now what you did then. All that matters is getting my stupid brother out alive. I can handle whoever he brings out here. You'll have better luck finding Garrett in there than I will."

"Kain, I am not leaving you–"

"Yes, you are." The steel doors before them gave a sharp and drawn out hiss as they opened. "I'll try to pin them down with some fire while you rush in. Chances are that the doors will close right after his 'daughters' come out swinging, so you'll have just a few seconds."

Luna knew better than to argue anymore. Kain was right about one thing: she had better luck of finding the rocker than he did. So she crouched down, ready to swat at the first thing to come at her.

The doors opened completely and a look of utter confusion painted her face as she rose back to her feet. There were two little girls standing in the doorway, stuffed animals tucked tightly under the crooks of their arms. They looked Immune to her. They stank of Infected blood though.

Kain lowered his weapon slowly. "Really? He sent a couple of children to do his dirty work? What kind of fucked up son of a bitch is running this operation?"

The girl on the left, who had one black eye and one blue eye, stepped towards the blonde man, a tiger in her pale fingers. Her companion, with one black and red eye, followed step for step, a puppy dog in her grasp. They moved as one, something Luna took immediate notice of. Together, they spoke.

"Father is master of all inferior creatures. He will rule the New World. Join the Cause. Become the Cure for humanity. Surrender and join us."

Kain raised an eyebrow at the speech. Were they seriously trying to recruit them? He raised his weapon once again. "No thanks."

The girls released their toys, which fell to the ground, landing on all fours. Pulsing strings retracted from the children's fingers, sending black liquid to their toys, which were beginning to look a lot more like Infected. Muscles were visible through patches of skin. The occasional bone protruded from its respective joint. Both creatures gave defensive noises, standing their ground. The children took a step forward, crossing the threshold out into the dirt.

"Then you will die whether you stand." As one powerful unit, they whipped their arms and their puppet monsters launched towards the outsiders.

* * *

><p>Garrett sat slumped in the folding metal chair, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Raven had moved off to stand by the window and look out at the scene unfolding on the lawn, but Garrett barely registered her absence. He was too busy reeling from the pain caused by the dozens of small, precise cuts all over his body. Raven certainly knew what she was doing, he gave her that much.<p>

Glancing up through the stray tangles of sweaty hair that had fallen into his face, he fixed his burning glare on Raven's back as her 'Father' left the room - to do what, Garrett didn't know. He had already been struggling a bit against the handcuffs binding his wrists, and he could feel one of the links in the chain start weakening. Of course, 'weak' and 'broken' were two very different things, but still.

He clenched his jaw, forced the pain to the deepest, darkest corner of his mind, and strained at the cuffs with all the might in his Herculean frame. The huge muscles in his arms bunched and stood out as he pulled, and blood started dripping onto the floor as the metal cuffs cut into his wrists. With one final, desperate heave, he exerted every ounce of power in his body...

...and the chain snapped. Reeling forward, he lurched to his feet without any real plan, turning and grabbing the chair he'd been sitting in. Raven started to turn lackadaisically around, to see what that noise had been, and Garrett brought the chair down with a feral roar on the witch's head.

To her credit, the military witch managed to duck with only a split-second's warning. It saved her from a cracked skull and probably instant death, but the impact was still thunderous and sent Raven to the floor with what must have been one hell of a headache. Rolling as she landed, the Witch sprang up just in time to receive a blow to the legs that sent her pitching over sideways. Catching herself and kicking out, she scored a hit on Garrett's chin, causing him to lurch backwards, the chair slipping from his fingers.

Ducking beneath a frenzied swipe of razor claws, Garrett lunged forward, grabbing the Witch in a bear hug. She might have been twice as fast as him, much better trained and with superhuman constitution, but if there was one thing Garrett did well, it was brute-forcing his way through problems. Lifting the struggling witch off the ground, he squeezed her ribcage in a bone-crushing hold, her claws cutting into his back as the witch wriggled like a trapped snake. Garrett bellowed in pain and rage, twisting around, adjusting his hold a little and slamming the witch into the nearest electrical console with all the force he could muster.

Something broke in the piece of machinery, and Raven screeched and writhed as lethal doses of electricity coursed through her slim frame. Impressively, she feebly tried to rise, but Garrett grabbed the chair and smashed it down onto her, pressing her further into the mass of sparking machinery. Then he did it again. Just to be sure she was dead, he grabbed her head and bashed it against the console a few times, until he heard something crack inside it. Then he let go, stumbled backwards, his mind reeling from pain and the aftereffects of adrenaline... and collapsed in a heap on the floor, his vision going dark.

* * *

><p>Father looked at the corpse of his now lost favorite daughter. He could feel some of his energy deplete. That's what he gets for allowing her so much freedom, he supposed. Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile. And to waste rehabilitation on her would've been worthless. She was the most resilient of all his children. Something he was proud of in most cases and hated to his core in others.<p>

"I guess it was time that she be discarded. At least this way, there's less paperwork for me to file."

He turned to his freed captive, who was now laying unconscious on the floor. What a sight. He would be a very useful sparring partner for his new child. Speaking of sparring...

He turned to the monitor showing the scene unfolding outside. The Immune was trying to fire at his Spring and Autumn, but his bullets were deterred by their toys. It was amusing, and intriguing.

The Witch, on the other hand, was pinned beneath the tiger and tearing into its shoulders. But the creature's cuts were pouring stuffing like blood. He knew of their regenerative powers, but what was this? The Witch looked intoxicated.

Father grabbed the remote control and tightened the image some. Her strength visibly became weaker. The tiger's teeth were drawing closer to the gray skin beneath it, and Spring was simply standing back, effortlessly control her puppet.

His eyebrow rose in wonder. Were they evolving? The scientists said that they had no capability to surpass their current standings...so what was he witnessing?

* * *

><p>Kain dodged backwards as the dog lunged, slapping a new magazine into his handgun. The beast reached the end of its life-giving cords and snapped to a halt like a dog that just reached the end of its leash. Kain glanced over at Luna, who was struggling with the tiger, and adjusted his aim. The gun discharged with a report like a crack of thunder, and the tiger lurched to the side, stuffing exploding from the side of its face. Kain watched in amazement as the tiger's controller stumbled as well, clutching feebly at its right eye.<p>

A light bulb went off in his head. The beasts were connected to their masters... and hurting one hurt the other. And, he noticed, as the tiger snarled and shook itself, the crater where its right eye used to be wasn't regenerating.

"Luna!" he barked, whirling as the dog's master advanced on him, allowing the foul creature to get closer. "Go for the eyes!"

Dodging out of the way of snapping fangs, he kicked out with a booted foot, hitting the creature in the mouth and dislodging a few teeth. Yelping, the beast leapt back, its damaged mouth already repairing itself, and Kain took advantage of its momentary distraction to fire off a shot at its master. The girl ducked out of the way, but not quite fast enough, and a good chunk of flesh was blown out of her shoulder. Her dodge turned into a pained stumble, and Kain fired again, but the dog leapt in the way, a cloud of stuffing exploding from its side.

Holding his breath as the stuffing fell around him, Kain whipped his combat knife from its sheath on his hip and slashed at the dog, causing it to jump backwards away from the flashing steel. Snapping back faster than a steel spring, the beast lunged, fastening its jaws around his booted shin and tugging.

With a startled cry, Kain fell, landing on his back heavily enough to knock the breath out of him. Fangs dug into his leg, and he gritted his teeth against the pain, leaning up and sighting down the barrel of his handgun. He wasn't likely to get another opportunity like this.

The dog noticed what he was doing and loosened its grip, blood dripping from its teeth as it pulled away from his leg. But it wasn't quite fast enough. Kain squeezed the trigger, and the girl controlling the creature, already slowed by her shoulder wound, took the bullet square in the forehead. Blood bloomed outward as her head snapped back, her entire body following it more slowly as she keeled over backward, the dog suddenly going limp on top of him.

Luna couldn't hear anything clearly. She thought someone had called her name and said something about an eye. Her vision was spotting madly. What drug was this thing filled with? She tried to pull it off, but it pinned her down harder and pain blossomed from her face. She wailed in pain, eyes shut tight. The pressure on her body nearly stumbled off as her cry grew in pitch.

She stopped when her voice finally cracked and took in a deep breath of fresh air, her senses clearing just barely. She blinked her golden eyes to clear the fog. Someone was down...but was it Kain or the girl?

"Luna!"

She turned to the voice to see something coming at her. She raised her claws, ready to swat and defend herself in her weak state. Her Infected mind was determined to defend her body, no matter what.

"Luna, the eyes!"

The tiger gave a sharp growl and she reached forward to protect herself from another attack. Something speared itself on her fingers and she could hear a wail of horrified pain as it recoiled.

The fog was fading faster, thank God, and Luna rose up from her position on the ground, allowing a better blood flow between her brain and body. She could finally see the tiger clawing madly at its face...and the girl was clutching her bleeding eye, a grimace on her face.

Kain stooped beside her and helped her sit up more.

"You! You murder Spring and then you blind me!" the girl screamed in anger, curling her fingers. "Die, traitor!"

The tiger stumbled some as she tried to control her toy as best she could. It leapt forward and Luna set her talon into a point, driving them through the front of the creatures face and out the back of the skull. The other girl twitched madly before falling back, her body convulsing lightly before laying still.

Luna rolled her eyes in the back of her skull to fight away the remaining fog before looking up at the building before them. The doors opened up again, having closed during the battle, inviting them in.

"It's a trap," she whispered.

Kain nodded in agreement, helping her to her feet. "Do we go in?"

"If we don't, he'll shoot us in the back on the way out. Tying up loose ends and all. We need to go, grab Garrett, and get out without being killed."

'Just another day of training,' Luna thought to herself, making her way into the white-walled hall.

* * *

><p>"Wake up! Wake up, you stupid shit!"<p>

Garrett blinked, his vision swimming. His head hurt - hell, his whole body hurt - and he was having trouble focusing. Probably didn't help that someone had their fingers wrapped around his throat. They weren't exerting enough force to choke him, but it was still far from comfortable.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Garrett muttered, wriggling and finding that he was pressed up against a wall. Concrete, by the feel of it. Blinking a few more times, he finally got his vision into focus, and saw his assailant.

Tall - but not quite as tall as Garrett - he was well-built but not huge, looking more like a particularly muscled surfer to Garrett's huge boxer. He wore a pair of dark jeans belted at his waist with a black leather cord, knee-high leather jackboots, and a hoodie was draped across his lean frame, worn open-front to show off the muscles, scars, and tattoos on the man's chest.

Garrett looked up into the shadows of the man's hood, and blinked in surprise. Two eyes glimmered yellow and angry from the darkness, and when the man - correction, the Hunter - spoke, Garrett could see the glint of his fangs. "You killed my sister, you fuck," the Hunter growled, tightening its grip a little. "I'm gonna tear your guts out."

Garrett had, quite simply, had enough. Captured, tortured, killed his captor with his bare hands, and now he was being choked and threatened by an intelligent Hunter. His mind was having trouble dealing - and so a familiar presence surfaced to help him out. Previously, he'd only made himself known in dreams, but this was an extreme circumstance.

Garrett kicked and struggled as his darker half asserted itself, shoving Garrett's enfeebled mind out of the way and taking the driver's seat. The Hunter recoiled slightly as the transition occurred - Garrett's entire body posture changed, his eyes widened, glimmering with a cruel light, and his lips curved up in a fell smile. "What the fuck-..." the Hunter began, but Garrett cut him off.

"You have no idea what you're playing with," he purred, reaching up and grabbing onto the Hunter's wrist. "Fuck you, assho-..." the Hunter said, but, once again, Garrett cut him off. This time, however, it wasn't with words, but with a thunderous kick to the unsuspecting Hunter's groin.

The yellow eyes widened a little, and the Hunter's mouth opened in an 'oh' of surprised agony. The infected let out a little strangled whimper, his grip on Garrett's neck loosening. "I warned you," Garrett said, then twisted around like a snake, yanking the Hunter's arm around behind his back and dislocating it at the shoulder. Wrapping his other arm around the Hunter's neck in a headlock, he pivoted from the hip, smashing the Hunter's face into the wall, then swept the infected's legs out from under it with a sweeping kick. The Hunter landed hard on its back, giving a little breathless yelp and curling into a ball of misery.

Turning away with a scoff, Garrett stalked off down the hallway, looking for his clothes.

* * *

><p>Luna could smell so many Infected scents and chemicals that is made her sick. Some creatures were screaming within the belly of the building and her heart wretched with pity for them. What kind of place was this? Who was Father? The only memory she had was a shadow that would, sometimes, walk with Raven.<p>

Kain walked heavily, his boots plodding around while her bare feet nearly glided over the ground without a sound. She hated how much attention she was drawing just by being near him: any unstable Infected would bull-rush her to get at the clean flesh.

"Kain...maybe we should split up. To cover more ground. It'll let us find Garrett faster," she found herself asking. He was breathing too heavy, he was moving too slow. Why couldn't he be as fast as she was? Why did he have to walk so damn slow?

Kain looked at her and she wasn't able to really process the look he gave her. Something between confusion and...hatred, maybe? Fear? She ignored it, forcing her impatience to stay silent.

"Sure. We'll meet back her in fifteen if neither of us can find him."

She nodded and had to hold in her sigh of relief. Maybe now she could get some ground covered. She took off in one direction with speed she had been bred for, leaping over medical carts and the occasional zombie-minded Infected that shuffled in the halls. A female smoker, at one point, wheezed at her and tried to snare her, but she pushed off one wall like a Huntress and sliced the slick appendage in mid air, black blood lightly coloring her digits. The short intervention slowed her not a single degree as she followed her nose.

Garrett's scent hit her hard in the nose, so much in fact that she recoiled a bit before turning into the door. On the floor lay a hooded creature, curled into the fetal position, unmoving. The room stank severely of the ex-rocker and she hurried in a large arc around the body. Was this Garrett? Was all the time he had spent around her finally turning him? Or was this another body from some grizzly, sick game?

Out of the corner of her eye she could see another corpse. Luna turned to get a better look and sucked in a sharp, surprised breath.

Raven was lying on the ground, face up, half of her body burnt badly. She almost didn't look like a Witch, sans the sharp claws covered in cherry elixir.

She tore her golden eyes away from the scene, ignoring the rather battered chair in the corner, and moved closer to the curled figure in the middle of the room. His face was shrouded, as was natural, but something about him was strange. Like he didn't belong. Like she remembered him from somewhere.

She crouched down, careful to keep her distance, and stared at the shrouded face before her. She could faintly hear a heartbeat, and it brought her hope. Maybe he knew where her...friend? Lover? Companion? Titles didn't matter anymore. Maybe he knew where Garrett was.

She leaned closer, the breath ghosting over her nose. Seconds ticked by. It was eerily silent. She was ready to touch the creature, one finger extended with the will to poke him, when his eyes shot open, eyes just as golden as hers not quite seeing her face, but recognizing a dangerously close presence. Before she could even roll out of the way, she was pinned down hard, her arms twisted uncomfortably beneath her lower back, one set of claws digging into the flesh. She couldn't feel his other hand, but he compensated by placing more of his weight on that side of her body. Hoarse breathing flew up her nose. She wanted to gag at the stale breath.

"You son of a-" he started to scream before his eyes finally focused, trembling as they hopped from feature to feature on the Witch's face. Her heart was pounding with fear and her vision was extremely fuzzy. Twice in one day she's been pinned down, the mask of Death sucking in her soul. She deserved to be terminated. She deserved to die. If he killed her, she'd finally be at peace. Such a failure of a Witch didn't need to mess up the gene pool. "Artemis?"

She paused. That name. That nickname. Something the family she once had before the world went to hell in a hand basket had always called her. She stared before her, just as much confusion looking up that was looking down.

"Abraham?"


	8. Chapter 8

Garrett - but also not Garrett - strode through the claustrophobic metal corridors, looking utterly at ease wearing nothing but the countless fresh cuts lacing his powerful frame. His debilitating wounds appeared not to slow him down in the least, and his piercing eyes, burning with some nameless fire spawned of pain and rage, flicked back and forth, scanning for doorways.

He found one, and poked his head in. It appeared to be a storage room, full of shelves upon shelves piled high with boxes and crates. But no sign of his clothes, so he kept moving. While he - the not-Garrett, that is - was fine with striding about naked, he knew that when the Garrett that Luna had come to know and love resurfaced, he would like to have his clothes back, if for no other reason than that the sentimental rock star had grown attached to the leather duster and would be sad to see it gone.

Two security guards turned the corner ahead of him, and both stopped, staring with incredulity. They appeared to be human, and unarmed except for a police baton each, and Garrett's lips drew back in a feral expression that had nothing to do with a smile. The two guards stepped forward, and one of them took a swing at Garrett's head with his baton.

Catching the weapon in his hand, Garrett twisted like a striking snake, driving his other hand into the guard's neck in a knife-hand strike that nearly crushed the poor bastard's windpipe. While the first guard was collapsing, coughing and struggling to get air through his ruined throat, Garrett grabbed the second one by the wrist, breaking the man's elbow with a quick twist and jerk. The baton dropped from the guard's spasming fingers, and Garrett caught it, smashing it into the back of the guard's knee. The unfortunate man hit the ground hard, and Garrett gave them both a kick in the face to make sure they stayed down before moving on.

The next room he came to looked almost like the waiting rooms in doctor's offices, except done all in plain, whitewashed metal. There were two tables in the middle of the room, and on one of them were his clothes, all neatly folded. His Desert Eagle and car keys lay next to them, and Garrett grinned, snatching and stepping into first his boxers, then his jeans. His tank-top was so frayed and stained that he just left it on the table, shrugging on the heavy leather duster before strapping on his hip-holster and sliding his Desert Eagle into it. Grabbing up his car keys, he stuffed them into his pocket, before closing his eyes and relinquishing control of his body to it's original owner.

Garrett collapsed to the floor, his breath leaving him in a strangled gasp as the pain hit him like a runaway train. Every single part of his body burned, stinging with a fire that nearly blinded him. Most of the cuts had stopped bleeding, thankfully, but one particularly deep gash on his chest was dripping blood onto the floor. He tried to push himself to his hands and knees, but his tormented limbs would not support him, and he crashed to the ground with a yelp, rolling over onto his back and wondering whether Luna and Kain would find him before any more crazy goons did.

* * *

><p>"Abraham...what happened to you? You look...I mean, you're..." Luna's soft, motherly voice was resurfacing at the sight of her kid brother.<p>

"Artemis...you're a Witch."

She cringed at the title; her time around Sydney made the name more of a shotgun blast. The pads of her fingers ran over the young boy's face. His skin was so cold compared to when they were younger, spending weekends playing in the sun for hours until burns forced them to retreat to an oatmeal bath.

"Don't say it like that, Abe. I'm still your big sister. The Infection hasn't changed that."

"But your skin...it's gray. It's covered in scars and burns. And your hair. You have claws now. Artemis...you've changed."

Her heart caught in her throat. His eyes looked into hers with a foreign expression. She reached to touch his face again and he shrugged away from her, as if she were poisonous.

"Abe..."

"Artemis...I'm not your kid brother anymore. I'm a killer. A fighter. I wanted to join the Army, and now I lead my own pack. You...you're a traitor. The traitorous cousin. That's what they all call you. Luna, the weakling Witch. That's not my big sister."

Her heart caught in her throat. Was it true? Had she altered that much since the Pre-Infection? Or was Abraham just cold towards her? She was talking to a stranger. She felt the tears come into her eyes, but forced them away as she stood. Now was not the time to show weakness. She had to find Garret, and then get the hell out of here.

She rose from her seat and turned to the door. Her lover's scent trail, thought skewed with another, stronger smell, was fading fast. She could feel Abraham's gaze on her skin, but ignored it.

Luna took off to find Garret, hoping she wouldn't run into anything that would delay her advances. A few doors opened, but she skirted around them with a vicious speed that not even her Father knew she possessed.

She stopped at the scene of a brutal fight, two guards lying on the ground with broken facial bones and other variously vicious injuries. Her mind wanted her to believe that Garret did this, and that he was fine, but her heart wouldn't believe that her gentle giant would cause this much damage. Then again...Raven...

She walked down the halls, looking for open doors, not breathing or thinking, just following her instincts. She found a door left ajar and opened it cautiously, her blood turning to ice at the scene.

Garret was lying face down, unconscious in a pool of his own blood. She knelt beside him and rolled him face up, internally bawling at the sight. She placed her hands down heavily along the wound, forcing tears away as she whispered song lyrics to her downed rocker.

She could feel his heart beating viciously in his chest, silently pleading to whatever God had caused this hellish mess known as the apocalypse that some of her strength would feed over to him. She bent low and kissed his forehead, muttering "Please...wake up..." over and over.

* * *

><p>Kain stood in the main parking lot of the facility, arms akimbo, fists on hips. His glittering blue eyes were fixed in an annoyed glare, and his thin, fair lips were set in a frown of irritation. He had checked - twice - in the nearby guard shack, and found not one set of keys. Sure, his big brother might have hotwired a car of two, but Kain was always the angel. He'd never even jaywalked, let alone stole a car. So, he needed keys.<p>

Glancing around, he mentally grumbled about what had happened to his Jeep. That baby had been with him for ten years, and now he goes off on one hair-brained rescue mission and the poor girl gets hit by a rocket. There was little left of her but scrap metal.

His eyes finally settled on a pair of booted feet sticking out from behind one of the humvees, and he tilted his head inquisitively. Jogging over, his heavy boots thudding across the asphalt, he came to a halt next to the prone form of a guard. He reeked of alcohol, and an empty whisky bottle lay next to his open hand. Kain smirked, kneeling down to rifle through the unconscious man's pockets.

The guard grumbled and twitched a few times, but Kain managed to retrieve his handgun, a couple of magazines for it, and - huzzah - a key on a glittery fob. Now he just had to find out which vehicle it went to.

Gunshots startled him from his scavenging, and he sprang up, handgun up and tracking. Nothing moved, and he narrowed his eyes suspriciously. Was there fighting going on elsewhere in the compound? Perhaps a rebellious infected being put down?

Giving up on his idle speculations, Kain pulled out the key and looked it over. After a few moments of inspection, he noticed an engraving on it; 'A3'. Looking up, he scanned the nearby humvees for any such numbers, but found none. Then his eye traveled down the row of parked vehicles, finally coming to rest on a metal sign that bore, in large, block text, 'A1'. The space in front of it was empty, but Kain grinned nevertheless. He was on the right track.

Walking over, his breath caught in his throat as he passed a truck that had been blocking the way and his prize came into view. A wolf smile started spreading across his momentarily-stunned features, and he punched the air in exultation. He would have cheered, but feared it would attract unwanted attention. Running over, he ran his hands over his new toy's metal hide, feeling the rivets hard and cool beneath his fingers. An APC. They had an APC.

* * *

><p>Abraham slunk after the scent of the traitor, determined to find his big sister. She was only trying to bond again. To recreate what the Infection had taken from them. What the world had wretched from him. She wasn't the same super-smart, ultra brave girl that he had grown up with, but he wasn't the same happy-go-lucky kid either. His days were spent hunting down anything that moved, anything that breathed, anything that existed. And his nights were spent loathing the world and what he had become.<p>

He could hear her rapid heartbeat from down the hall and stopped, resting on his haunches. What was he to say? Sorry? That wouldn't stitch back the hole he had torn between them. He wasn't one used to going back to someone for help or guidance. He also didn't like the idea of apologizing or admitting defeat. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Oh Garret," he heard Artemis moan through her tears. His entire body tightened. Who was Garret? Was he important to her? More important than he? His heart was beating fiercely as he slunk closer, remaining in the downwind and shadows to avoid immediate detection. "You're awake," she whispered hoarsely.

"Luna," came a familiar tone, grinding out the syllables like two stones rubbing against one another. "God, I hurt."

"Don't move, Garret. You have a bad injury. I need to patch you up before-"

"We don't have time. That Hunter...he's probably right behind you."

"What Hunter?"

"The one who came at me. With a shit ton of tattoos. Big guy."

Abraham's voice left him. They were talking about him. It must be that asshole rocker. But, his sister spoke to him fondly. He crept closer until he could see inside the dimly lit room.

His sister was kneeling beside the bleeding man, kissing his forehead softly. Her claws avoided his skin as she caressed him tenderly. One of his hands was on her cheek. They looked at each other with...with...

"You must mean my kid brother," Artemis whispered. "He is a bit of a hothead. I'm sorry he did all of this to you. If I had been here sooner-"

"Don't even say that. That jackass would have laid a claw on you, and his head would be on a spike. I'd never forgive myself..."

"Oh Garret," she swooned, kissing him softly. "I love you..."

Abraham froze. With love...love... His brain and heart were feeling the same empty chasm, and they wanted to blame some creature. Why not the man? He had his sister's love, after all. It should be all his...

"And don't think ill of your brother... he didn't do this," Garrett managed, although each word was an effort. "It was Raven. She... she wanted to know where you were."

Luna's breathed hissed in, and her eyes widened. "She... tortured you?" the beautiful Witch breathed, her voice very small. Garrett grimaced. "Yeah. Bitch enjoyed every minute of it, too. But I killed her. You probably noticed. Slammed her into a console and fried her." He coughed a few times, and Luna gently hefted him onto her lap, which he figured was about the closest place to heaven right now. He blinked with surprise as he noticed she was crying, and he reached up a feeble hand, brushing his weak fingers across her cheek. She clutched at his hand, squeezing it as if to reassure herself that he wasn't going anywhere.

Suddenly, Garrett's attention was drawn by something outside. A dark shape, crouched in the shadows. He wouldn't have seen it at all, if not for the fire blazing in the hunched figure's eyes. "Luna-..." he started, but before he could finish, the figure pounced. It was aiming for him, but Luna noticed just in time to get in the way. Moving faster than Garrett thought possible, she interposed herself between the Hunter and Garrett, and the two infected rolled over on the ground. The Hunter screeched "HOW COULD YOU!?" at the top of its lungs, and Garrett tried to push himself to his feet to help, but collapsed again. Too weak. Too goddamn weak.

Suddenly, he became aware of that familiar presence in the back of his mind again. 'Need more help, Garrett?' it whispered in his mind, and for once, he welcomed it. "Yes," he snarled, rolling over onto his stomach and getting his arms beneath him. He slipped in his own blood, but caught himself, looking up through the mat of sweaty hair falling into his face. He couldn't tell who was winning, as right now the fight was just a roiling mass of teeth and claws. "Yes," he repeated, exerting every ounce of power his body possessed and forcing himself to his hands and knees.

'Allow me,' the other him said, and suddenly Garrett found himself in the backseat. He sprang upright, suddenly unhindered by his terrible injuries, and darted forward, grabbing the Hunter around the neck in a headlock, the enormous muscles in his arms bunching as he hauled the scrabbling infected off his foe. Both Luna and the hunter were scratched and bloody, although the Hunter seemed to have gotten the worse end of the deal.

"Remember me?" Garrett hissed in the Hunter's ear, and the infected froze. Garrett chuckled, and was about to snap the fool creature's neck when Luna cried "Garrett! How are you... what's going on!?"

Garrett blinked. "Ah, Luna," he said, his lips twisting in the closest thing to a kind smile this side of him had ever evidenced. "Garrett's told me so much about you." Luna tilted her head to the side, confusion written on every feature. "Then again," Garrett mused idly, ignoring the Hunter who had started struggling again in his grip, "I am Garrett. But also not. I suppose I'm going to need a different name, aren't I?" He thought for a moment, gave the wriggling Hunter a quick jab with his knee to calm him down, and finally said "Call me Jaxon."

Luna stared at...Jaxon with a look of utter confusion. What was Garret talking about? He wasn't someone else. He was still him. Wasn't he? He looked the same...for the most part. He moved fluidly, and the gash as his stomach was no longer leaking some of his vital fluids. His grip on her kid brother was tight from the very look. Her heart separated from this creature, which tore her in two. What was happening?

"Oh, come now, darling," Jaxon purred at her like a lion after a meal. "Don't be so cold towards me. Your lover is still very much here. Maybe even closer than you'd like to believe."

Abraham snarled and tried to twist in the rocker's grip, but this secondary controller of her lover's body held fast. She lurched forward and came in contact with Jaxon's skin, which scalded hers in its cold. Her first instinct was the pull away, but she dislodged his fingers from her brother's throat and moved the Hunter back.

"Abe, are you alright?"

The Hunter stared at the rocker from across the room with a growl. "I'll murder him..."

"Come at me, you 95-pound weakling. I could always use a toothpick."

The Hunter crouched low, ready to pounce once again, but Luna flashed her claws before him. Her golden eyes bade for him to stop, but his crouch was locked, and growing more powerful by the second.

"Abe, stand up. I don't want to have to hurt you," she whispered. Jaxon snickered in the background, which caused a territorial sound to come from the Witch's throat. "Don't do this."

"Now I see why Garret is so infatuated with you. Such a calm child, you are."

"Shut up, Garret!" she shouted, brandishing her talons. Her heart nearly stopped at the thought of harming her lover. "Just...shut up, Jaxon. Can we just go? Please..."

Jaxon smiled to himself, moving closer to the increasingly agitated Witch. "You are feisty...if Garret isn't man enough for you, I could always-"

"Leave Artemis alone, before I gut you like a pig!"

Garret's body turned to the Hunter. The look on his face was intrigued. God, but did he love a good fight. He lurched at the beast, who snaked his claws around his sister's slim form in an attempt to slice skin. But instead, the older and taller man backed away, heading for the door.

"I'll stay until you reach safety. Then you can have your dying hero back."

Luna sighed, lowering her personal weapons at her side to follow. Abe tried to move in front of her, but she kept him at bay with a silent, pleading look. The Hunter snarled to himself.

"He calls me a weakling again, he won't have a tongue," her kid brother warned, crawling on all fours beside her. "And that's a promise," he cried out loud enough for Jaxon to hear down the walkway.

The Witch's head was spinning. Hopefully Kain could explain to her this conundrum.

Abraham crawled next to his sister, eyes watchful of the glory-hound wannabe Rambo. His ears were also trained on the sound of silence. Father hadn't sent another team. Maybe he knew something that wasn't meant to be understood. Or found out.

The Hunter almost didn't notice that the Immune was wrapping his arm around the waist of his sister. He drew out a vicious growl, but the grip only seemed to tighten.

"Jaxon," his sister protested. "Let me go. You're slowing me down."

"Oh, am I? Allow me to remedy that, my dear." With a swoop, the Immune scooped the young Witch into a bridal carry and took off down the hall in a sprint.

Abraham's muscles locked in shock for a few seconds. He scurried after them, rebounding off of the walls still too slow to keep a good distance. The smell of the pair was fading. His heart began to race. He wouldn't lose his sister again. Not again. His vision began to blur with tears. Why the hell was he crying? He didn't cry. He wasn't supposed to have feelings.

He dropped to the floor and punched something that crumbled underneath his fist. "Dammit!" he screeched.

A door opened, one of the doors to an old hangar bay. Jaxon was standing in wait, pleased with himself.

"Stop being a little bitch and get in here."

The Hunter slunk into the bay without a sound and could see his sister talking with another, shorter Immune. He tried not listen in on their conversation, but it was hard to turn off his training. The Immune snickered at him as he went to join the others.

Jaxon sauntered up to stand next to Luna and Kain, the latter giving him a highly confused look. With a sigh, he realized he was going to have to relinquish control of his body to Garrett again. Until the next time he was needed, at least. Closing his eyes, he let himself recede into the passenger seat once more.

Garrett let out a startled cry as the pain hit him again, slumping forward into Luna's arms, who yelped in surprise as the rock star's 300-pound frame was unexpectedly dropped onto her chest.

"Garrett?" she ventured, and he groaned in protest as all his wounds made themselves known once more. "Fuck me, this hurts..." he muttered, then made an effort to stand. He wobbled for a couple moments, then collapsed again with a virulent curse.

Luna caught him, and he was once again surprised at the strength in her slender arms. Kain took a couple steps closer, folded his arms over his chest, and said "Garrett, if what Luna says is true, you have some explaining to do."

"It's all true," Garrett said weakly, getting his feet under him and making another abortive attempt to stand. "Back when the infection started, I took a good look at what I'd been doing with my life. I resolved to change. To make myself a better man. But the stress of running and fighting every day, not getting half as much sleep as I needed... the pain, the hunger, the exhaustion, and the emotional trauma of beating undead monsters to death with everyday objects... they complicated things."

He wobbled a little, draping an arm over Luna's shoulders for support, and continued "I'm no psychologist, but my best guess is that all that stress turned the shit I was trying to bury into another personality. Another side of me, if you will. A side that represented all the things I used to be, but wanted to forget. The lying, cheating son of a bitch who started bar fights for fun and had a different woman in his bed every night. All that stuff turned into the thing who now calls himself Jaxon. He's been with me for a long time now... at first he just haunted my dreams, but now it seems he's decided to show his face in the real world."

An extended, awkward silence hung over the group for several seconds that each seemed to last an eternity, then Garrett cleared his throat and said "Well, let's get out of here. I've seen enough of this shithole to last two lifetimes. And I ain't a doctor, either, but even I know that I could sure as hell use some medical attention."

The APC rolled to a stop outside of Kain's house, and Garrett was helped down the back ramp by Luna. She'd done what she could to patch up his countless wounds on the ride back from the base, but the real medical supplies were in the house. Kain hopped out of the driver's seat, twirling the keys around his finger, and Abe stalked out last, looking sulky.

"Hopefully Sydney hasn't gotten into too much trouble without us, eh?" Garrett joked, although his weak, pained voice killed the humor he was trying to project. Luna shushed him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as she helped him up the front steps.

Kain slipped in front of them, twisting the key in the front door and pushing the door open. "Sydney, baby, we're ba-..."

The words died on his lips, and he stopped dead a couple steps into the room. "What?" Garrett asked, staggering through the door. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, his jaw went slack. He gazed wide-eyed around the room, and murmured "Holy shit..."

The place was ransacked. Drawers had been pulled out of shelves, cupboards had been opened, trash, clothes and other odds and ends were lying scattered on the floor. Kain pounded up the stairs, yelling "Sydney!?" Luna helped Garrett down onto one of the couches, and sat next to him, taking one of his hands in hers.

Garrett didn't move a muscle until Kain came, slowly, back down the stairs. "She's not here," he said quietly, then walked to the kitchen window and glanced out into the backyard. "Neither is her car." Turning back around to face the rest of the group, his face a mask of neutrality but rage and pain burning in his eyes, he finished "Sydney's gone, and she's taken half the house with her."


End file.
